Deviant
by Kera Michaelis
Summary: DMMd AU. Living in a world in which every action you make can make or break the entire world, Kain tries his best not to be so conspicuous and tries to keep to himself the best he can (emphasis on 'tries'). However, Kain soon finds himself in the epicenter of a phenomenon and the outcome of everything depends on him - the Author. OC-Centric. Rated High teen. SEMI-HIATUS 10/9/16
1. Chapter 1

_Today will mark five years since that day..._

I let out a slow breath as I relaxed in my bed, listening to the sounds of nature flow around me in a soothing melody, making my turbulent emotions calm down. I pulled off my ever present bandanna and ran my hand through the sweaty strands of my hair. My mask soon followed, making my breathing marginally better. I continued to take deep breaths, letting the tranquil and serene surroundings conciliate my raging thoughts and jumbled up feelings.

_By Thioriginell... This happens _every time, I thought to myself as sat up, _Even when I don't think about it the day before, the nightmares always occur..._

I shook my head and climbed out of bed, wincing at the sensation of my sleeping attire, which consisted of a pair of grey sweatpants and a black tank top, clinging to my sweaty body. I quickly shed the damp clothing and sighed in relief at the feeling of the cool morning air coming into contact with my over heated body.

_A shower is in order..._, I thought, grabbing my glasses from on top of my nightstand as I walked out.

I flinched at the buzzing sensation when my fingers came into contact with the metal frame. I looked down at my hand and frowned at it, shaking off the static.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

"_I still don't see why you won't come over and join us, mate! I know that you miss us~,"_ the familiar baritone whined into my ear through my earpiece.

"Because, Athan, I just don't want to," I grunted as I plowed through another piece of timber with my ax, pausing momentarily to wipe at the sweat on my brow before continuing on with the task, "I'm just happy where I am."

_But am I really?_

I scowled at the stray thought from beneath my mask before viciously cutting into an innocent piece of wood.

"_You say that, but you can't possibly mean it," _Athan responded, somehow catching the drift of my wayward thoughts,_ "It's been almost five years since you've been on your own. Living by yourself has to be wearing you out, mate."_

I sighed into the earpiece as I placed another piece of wood onto the stump whist adjusting my glasses. I quickly chopped it in half and set it with the rest of the fire wood before stabbing the ax into the soft earth of the ground.

"I... Can't complain..." I said finally, stretching my back, "Thioriginell knows that things have been worst."

I shivered. _Way worst..._

"Anyway!" I exclaimed, shaking off the sadness that tried to creep up on me, "We're due for a visit soon, aren't we?"

My topic change was successful as the male on the other line agreed with me.

"Will Adara or Aeron be able to visit this time? I haven't seen them in _forever_!" I began to gather up the wood I've chopped up and place them into a neat stack against the wall of my home.

I clapped my covered hands together, getting rid of any excess wood chips, and removed my gloves, placing them on top of the firewood. Adjusting my glasses, I then proceed into my house through the back door I left open before pausing at the door.

_Why the hell did I chop wood today when it's springtime...? By Thioriginell..., _I shook my head, entering the house and shutting the door, _Stupid Kain. Just plain stupid._

"_Nah, just me this time. They're on an assignment and aren't due back until the end of the month."_

"Oh darn..." The meeting was going to happen in about two weeks and we just entered the month of March...

I heard an amused chuckle.

"_Disappointed? How come you're not ecstatic to see your dear buggalugs~?" _he asked with a flirtation tilt to his voice.

I scoffed. "By Thioriginell, why would you even call yourself that? Pfft... _Buggalugs..._"

The last word was said in disgust.

"_What do you have against that word anyway, hunh possum?" _I could hear the pout in his voice, despite him being a grown man, _"I think it's cute!"_

I walked through the kitchen, which was the first room you entered when going through the back door, into the adjacent living area and sprawled out onto the couch located there. I adjusted the earpiece for a moment and pushed up my glasses, out of habit than actual necessity, before fully relaxing.

"It just reminds me of bugs, okay?" I retorted, settling into the couch.

"_Where I come from, it's a term of endearment, thank you very much!"_

"Reasons such as that makes me glad that I'm German..."

"_Hey! Now you're just being racist!"_

I chuckled in reply.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

Taking a deep breath and releasing it with a angry hiss, I viciously drove my fist into my opponent's body, followed by several more punches. I righted myself and followed up my punches with a swift roundhouse kick. I balanced myself once more, sighing out the rest of my breath. My opponent looked worse for wear, but otherwise fine, thankfully. I walked up to the padded tree and patted it with a fond smile.

"Thanks for holding up on me~," I crooned to the tree before walking towards my house.

The small smile on my face soon faded away as I recalled the rest of my conversation with Athan.

"_Why can't you just use your Predictions to see whether or not joining the DO is a good thing, hunh possum?" _he had asked.

It was an innocent question, but it really made me upset. Using such power for something so trivial isn't its intended use-

_But then again, what else am I going to use it for? It's not as if I'm actively trying to help society as a whole... _

I shook my head and adjusted my glasses as I entered my home, heading straight to the bathroom.

_Regardless, I'm just one guy. I highly doubt that He expects the efforts of one man can change the world..._

As if it was on cue, I felt my eyes tingle with a strange heat. It didn't hurt, but the sensation felt alien in my eyes. With a huff, I raised my glasses and rubbed at my them gingerly. Rubbing at them never actually helped, but it felt nice to me all the same.

"Better hurry up and shower...," I murmured to myself as I entered the bathroom, "I still have to hunt for food before the day is out..."

Don't get me wrong, I lived near a small town and I had money to spare from various jobs, but with my gargantuan appetite, I'll be broke before the year is out if I brought all of my food.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

I sighed as lukewarm water cascaded over my body, gradually washing away all the sweat and grime I accumulated in the past few hours. I scrubbed at my hair, not bothering with actually washing it because what was the point? I was going to get it sweaty again...

_Then what's the point of the shower in the first place...?_

I shook my head as I continued with my scrubbing. One does not simply passes up a good shower.

"Let's see... I still need to buy some more gas for the generator...," I said to myself, listing all the things that I needed to get done before the week is out, "The food pantry is getting awfully low too, so I'll need to buy some more canned and dry goods..."

I sighed as I cut the stream of water off.

To be honest, whenever I listen to quietness of my small house, it makes me want to take Athan up on his offer on joining the DO. At least then I'll be around people...

_What's holding me back then?_ I thought as I dried off my hair.

Suddenly, memories of men in white and metallic flashed before my eyes, laughing at me as they held me down-

"Argh!" I shook my head and smacked by face, relishing in the pain that in brought.

_I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all!_

I quickly changed into my camouflage clothing, which consisted of a long sleeved shirt and baggy pants tucked into combat boots, and adorned my hands with finger-less black gloves before putting on my usual black bandanna and mask, per usual. I gave a glance towards my bed and briefly considered brings what lies under it with me, but dismissed the thought; I was only going hunting and bring _that_ would be a tad overkill... Instead, I grabbed the pair of semiautomatics underneath my pillow. I gave a small frown from beneath my mask as I walked towards my dresser, which was situated directly in front of my bed.

_By Thioriginell, I should really invest in a regular hunting rifle,_ I thought as I reached into one of the drawers and pulled out two silencers, _But then again, these two have yet to fail me..._

With a shrug, I quickly equipped the guns and the silencers together (don't need to be scaring off the wildlife while I'm trying to assassinate them) I rushed to the backyard to the shed I kept a ways behind my house. I entered it, letting in a stream of light into the dark and slightly dusty shack.

Surrounding me were an assortment of "nick-nacks" that Athan, Adara, Aeron, and others have sent me over the past couple of years. Several of them included an cool ass bows and arrows. Once I received my first one, I begged Aeron, the sender, to teach me how to use such a _magnificent _piece of equipment made by the _gods themselves. _He then agreed to my pleas, but not before telling me that my grovelling wasn't exactly necessary.

"One cannot just simply _ask_ to be taught archery," I replied faux-snootily, "You must grovel and prostrate yourselves to the god of archery while furiously pleasuring yourself with the shaft of an arrow-"

"You're not hanging around Athan any more," the ginger growled as he slapped the back of my head, "His perverse tendencies are tainting you."

I smiled at the memory. He nearly bruised my head, but his reaction was very most worth it.

I picked up one of the bows, an older fashion version, out of my many array of them (Once finding out about my love of bows, one of my patrons blessed me with a shit-ton of them, each of them varying in model and such. _Sweet~_) and slipped it over my shoulder before picking up a bag of arrows and slinging it over my shoulders as well. When that was all said and done, I exited the shack and began jogging towards the edge of the clearing in front of the house.

_Need to hurry up and get hunting before the day's out..._, I thought, checking my guns and securing my bow and arrows as I jogged.

I frowned as I thought of the _cute _and _adorable_ woodland creatures that are going to meet their demise soon just so that my hunger could be satisfied. I hate the fact that I love rabbits so much... And the other fact that my favorite meat came from the fluffy animal. Such a tough life that I, Kain Sieschnok, live!

But then, out of the blue, as I delved into the heavily wooded area, my eyes began to tingle once more and I stopped temporarily to rub at them. My ears then picked up the sounds of a nearby bobcat screeching followed by the sounds of human panic. This caused me to take off in a panicked run, searching for the people in distress, fearing the worst for the people. But as hard as I searched, I couldn't find anyone at that moment.

I continued on with my hunting with an uneasy feeling in my gut. There was people out there that may or may not be in trouble, and I'm not even doing anything about it.

I later found out that the incident happened over a week ago.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

Rewritten July 16, 2015

Notes about Kain's last name: In english in pronounced (See-sh-noh-k)

In german it's pronounced (Zee-noh-k)

(If you say it quickly, it isn't such a mouthful to say~!)

That weird word (Thioriginell): (Thee-oh-re-gi-nel)

_**{Author's Note: A BILLION EXCUSES! I'M SORRY! Anyway, now that that is out of the way, for those of you that noticed, we are back to square one! That's right! I have deleted all of those shitty chapters from earlier and started from scratch! Now as to my updating schedule: take the chapters as they come and be happy (sorry!). The reason as to why I haven't been updating lately is because of school and band! But since we just had our band competition last weekend, I won't be as busy! However, I have applications to fill out for an art school I want to attend next year and so, I'm going to have my hands full with that as well! So, to my faithful deviants, please put up with my shit for a few months longer until I get myself together~ Anyway! I'll be uploading the rewritten chapters that I've already have typed up from a couple of months ago as an apology! So enjoy reading the new Deviant!**_

_**Until then~}**_


	2. Chapter 2

Despite my earlier worries about the sounds of distress I heard upon entering the woods, my hunting was rather uneventful.

At first that is.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

_Twang! Thump!_

Sounds of deer hooves soon filled the air as the herd quickly ran away, startled by the sudden collapsed of one of their brethren, signaling danger.

I cursed when my arrow missed the vital point of the deer when it unexpectedly moved at the very last second. I quickly reached back for another arrow as the buck tried to run away, it's movements being hampered by the arrow lodged in its shoulder, aimed, and fired at the deer, this time, landing my mark.

I breathed out as I relaxed against the truck of the tree, the adrenalin flowing out of my system now that the deer is dead. Poor thing.

I jumped out of the tree I was nestled in and groaned as I landed; maybe leaping directly out of a tree after crouching there for a couple of hours wasn't such a good idea after all... I up and stretched by back as I walked over to the deer carcass. I scowled as I looked down upon it; it was a bloody mess.

"How in the hell...?" I murmured to myself, trying to think of a way to carry this big ass deer without getting drenched in blood.

_Let it bleed out? ...Nah, scavengers will be all on that shit, even with me here... And I'm too lazy to shoo them away. Maybe I should just drag it?_

I hummed as I gave a sympathetic look to the deer. I don't really want to _drag_ it; it seems to degrading for the poor thing. Isn't it enough that I'm about to eat it?

_Maybe if I just picked it up and ran to my house as fast as I can? But then my back would start hurting... Nah, I'm just being lazy..._

I looked up to the sky. Whatever I'm about to do, I need to hurry up and make up my mind - it's noon and I know it's gonna take a while to skin the deer and junk. I looked at the deer and pouted.

_Guess I'm just gonna hafta drag it..._

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

_Times like this makes me wish that I wasn't suck a lazy ass..._

Underneath my mask, I was scowling to myself. Currently, I was dragging the deer carcass with a rope I had tied to it's legs. I looked back and winced at the sight of the deer being lolled around to and fro by my actions, bumping into tree trucks, antlers getting caught in roots and shit... I adjusted my grip and continued on with a long suffering sigh.

"I'm not sure if this deer meat is worth all this damn trouble...," I grumbled aloud, suddenly overcame with the immense urge to go home and forget about _everything _for a few hours.

At that moment, I began to hear the faint sound of someone shouting. I furrowed my eyebrows at the sounds (and gave a scowl at the sensation of my glasses slipping down the bridge of my nose) and walked towards the direction of where the noise originated, not that I had a choice in the matter; it was coming from my house, after all.

I continued my trek to my home with renewed vigor, wanting to hurry up and close the distance to check out what was going on near my home. I adjusted my glasses with the back of my hand, making them glint in the afternoon light.

_I hope whoever it is is okay..._

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

The sight that I saw was rather pitiful. Upon exiting the clearing, I was greeted with the familiar sight of my home, but accompanied with it was two men, both dressed in hiking clothes composed of loose white T-shirts and cargo pants tucked into hiking boots. At least that's what the clothing was _supposed _to look like. They were covered up to the ear in dirt and grime... One was sprawled out in the grass, limp, with his head propped on the other male's lap. The other male seemed to be crying (I couldn't exactly tell, his face was obscured by long locks of _blue_ hair), cradling his companion's head while hunched over him. As I walked closer, I could see the cause of the blue haired man's distress. His friend, a blond with a sweaty and pale complexion, had a large gash over his abdomen. The wound was covered with a makeshift bandage, a spare shirt maybe?, and even from this distance, I could see the large splotch of blood staining it. The sight of it caused me to let go of the rope anchored to the deer carcass and rush towards the duo.

Halfway there, the blue haired man looked up towards me, hearing my footsteps. When his eyes landed on me, they zeroed in on my lower body and then my weapons; whatever he saw cause him to scream like a fucking banshee.

"Gide damn!" His scream caught me off guard, causing me to yelp myself.

Bluey tried to scramble away, but he was quickly reminded of his unconscious blond companion on his lap and stilled his movements. He, instead, looked up at me defiantly, shielding his companion with his body.

"St-stay away!" He shouted out shakily, but with an undertone of determination.

I held up my hands while stepping back, looking at him with raised eyebrows.

"Sure, whatever you say princess," I remarked, "I just-"

"_You're not going to kill us!_" Bluey shouted, his voice tinged with a touch of desperation.

"Uh...," one my hands reached behind my head to scratch at it while the other lowered, "Okay? Why would I do that in the first place?" 

Bluey scowled at me while pointing at my legs. I looked down and let out a faint, "Oh," at the sight: my shins were covered in blood from where I knelt down to tie up the deer.

"I swear it's not what it looks like-," Yeah, like he'll believe me. I look shady as hell.

"Like hell I'll believe you!"

I sighed irritably. By Thioriginell! This is why I can't help people - they always throw my kindness in my fucking face. I pointed towards the dead deer a ways away.

"Look," I said whist pointing, "This blood on me belongs to that deer."

Bluey's brown eyes reluctantly slid away from my person towards the carcass. His eyes then slid back to me before they jumped back to the sight of the dead deer, like he couldn't believe the coincidence of this happening. His eyes finally settled on me and he began to worry his lip between his teeth as his eyebrows began to furrow together. Bluey's eyes trailed away as he began to murmur softly to himself; he seemed to be weighing his choices. I took this time to examine Blonde.

He didn't seem too well off. His chest was rising quickly and irregularly and his face seemed sweaty and too flushed. I sighed when Bluey seemed to take too long to make up his mind.

"Oh-kay!" I exclaimed suddenly, startling Bluey, "You have two choices: Let me help your friend and give you shelter or take you and your half dead friend out of here, endangering yourselves to the unforgiving whelms of Mother Nature and her children."

I know I sounded a bit harsh, but I honestly wanted to dissuade any notion of leaving here with Blonde in such a terrible condition.

Bluey's eyes landed back on me and his face twisted into a scowl at my statement. He let out a pent up sigh and nodded begrudgingly.

"Alright, alright," He said while looking down at his companion, "Help us."

I gave a huff, _Could've said please..._

I gestured to my front door and told him to carry his friend inside as I turned my back to retrieve my deer. I raised my eyebrows when Bluey shook his head.

"I-I don't have enough strength," he said softly, a bit of pink staining his cheeks.

I gave an, "Ah," in acknowledgment and turned back around to pick up Blonde, ignoring Bluey's sudden tensing up. Little pussy.

I adjusted the dead weight in my arms and nodded towards the door.

"Could you open it, please?" I asked, looking down at the other male.

Bluey stared up at me before scurrying towards the door to do so with a strange look on his face that I recognize all too well. I scowled underneath my mask.

_Thioriginell, I can't _that _scary am I...?_

I rolled my eyes.

_Well, I mean, it's totally not as if I'm covered in blood or anything_, I thought sarcastically as I walked inside my home, _Duh, Kain, you're probably scary as fuck right now._

I kicked the door closed and ventured into the hallway with Bluey hot on my heels.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

That weird word (Thioriginell): (Thee-oh-re-gi-nel)


	3. Chapter 3

_**{AN: Stay tuned at the end of the chapter for an Outtake!}**_

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

"By Thioriginell," were the first words that passed through my masked lips when I finally undid the makeshift bandage around Blonde's torso.

The wound was terribly infected - it was to the point where I couldn't actually see the damage, just yellow and white puss combined with clotting up blood. I forcibly tore my eyes away from the sight and removed my hunting gloves, quickly replacing them with sterile plastic ones from the first aid kit I grabbed from my room after depositing the blond in the spare room we were in. I grabbed the disinfectant wipes from inside the first aid kit's confines and got to work cleaning away the impurities from the wound.

"Hey, mind explaining how his wound got _this_ infected?" I asked Bluey.

_I hope the infection hasn't spread... Then Blonde will be in some really deep shit then._

I looked over to Bluey and pursed my lips at his haunted expression. Now I kinda feel like shit for the poor guy. The male took a deep, shaky breath before answering.

"He was defending me...," Bluey murmured, looking down at his hands clenched in his lap.

My eyes began to tingle as I placed the soiled disinfectant wipes away in a plastic zip up bag. I closed them when they began to heat up. Images began to flow behind my closed lids and I could faintly hear the sounds that accompanied them. I could see two men, the men that are in this very room, hiking. My mouth was moving before I knew it.

"...While you two was hiking...," I said quietly, describing what I was seeing with my eyes still closed.

I could see that the blond was smirking at the other male while calling his name. Aoba. The smirk faded quickly into a horrified expression as something began to creep up on Aoba from behind. The blond pushed the blue haired man out of the way when it pounced. Aoba out for his companion, Noiz.

"...A bob cat came out and attacked you two..." _So, that would explain the commotion I heard before I started hunting._

The burning sensation stop and I opened my eyes, looking at the slightly shocked and confused Aoba.

"...How did you...?" He stuttered, leaning away from me a bit.

"I, uh...," _Shit, shit, shit! Stupid Kain!_

"...Guessed?" I finished lamely, my excuse sounding weak in my own ears.

Aoba stared at me uncomprehendingly, so I continued, coming up with something on the fly.

"Bobcats are native to these parts of the woods, so I'm not all that surprised that one would come and attack you two, especially since you entered through the north-eastern side-," I coughed suddenly.

_By Thioriginell, Kain! You're not supposed to know that!_

"Anywho! Looking at the intensity of this infection, I'd assume that this happened about... A week ago?"

The blue haired male nodded at me dumbly. I gave a small huff of relief. He seemed to buy my excuse. Yay.

I looked back at the blonde, Noiz, and examined his wound now that most of the gunk was gone. The wound still looked worst for wear, but luckily it looked worst than it actually was. But it didn't change the fact that it was still infected. I reached inside the kit with triumphant smile. But luckily, I have plenty of antibiotics-where the fuck are the antibiotics?

I looked down inside the bag and rummaged through it, looking for the bottle of antibiotics.

"Ah, here-! ...They are...," I held up an empty bottle.

I crushed the small container in my hand as I chuckled nervously at the blue haired who was looking at me with a worried expression.

Aoba looked as if he'll faint when I told him that I was out of the very thing that could save Noiz's life.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

I was currently in my bathroom, filling up a wash basin and pondering what to do now. I honestly don't think that Noiz will be able to hold up any longer with such a high fever and intense infection.

_Should I carry him to the doctor? Carrying him won't be a problem... There's Aoba too, but I'm sure that we can work something out._

I frowned as I cut the water flow off.

_But will Noiz be able to handle any travel with his condition? I think it'll be safer for him to stay put for a while. He needs to rest for a bit. _

On my way out, I grabbed a clean wash cloth and submerged it in the cold water.

_But I honestly need to find those antibiotics..._

It seems that the bottle that I picked up earlier was an old bottle that I used up several months prior. I must've misplace the newer bottle somewhere in the house. But I already searched the medicine cabinet and the drawers in my nightstand and everywhere else that seemed plausible - I can't seem to find it. I sighed as I entered the spare room.

_Seems that I'll have to make a trip to town..., _I glanced out the window, located above Noiz's cot, _...Or not._

It was afternoon and by the time I make it to town, the local drugstore would've been closed. I pursed my lips as I sat down beside Aoba and placed the bin between us. I caught Bluey's eye and gave him a closed eyed smile, reaching out my hand.

"I never introduced myself. I'm Kain."

Aoba gave me a curious look and shook my hand, introducing himself.

"And his name is Noiz," Aoba said with a sad smile gracing his lips as he gestured towards the slumbering male.

"Nice to meet you Aoba," I looked towards Noiz, "Noiz."

"Anyway, it seems that I can't find the antibiotics. I'm sorry," I said apologetically, getting straight to the chase.

"O-oh... I see," the blue haired man murmured.

"However, there is an alternative that should hold Noiz over until tomorrow," I continued, reaching into the bin and grasping the towel.

"Really?" Aoba said, perking up at my statement as I squeezed out the excess water and place the cool towel on Noiz's forehead.

"Yep. But unfortunately, I'm out of that too, and we just left the growing season for the plant that makes it," I said bluntly, not realizing what my words was doing to Aoba until I looked over at him.

_A bit too blunt, dumbass_, I scowled myself at the sight of Aoba deflating.

"But!" I added hastily, "I have an idea!"

The plant that we need was called a coneflower, scientifically known as _Echinacea purpurea__. _It would help with the infection until we can get some authentic antibiotics in Noiz's system. But, you see, the thing is, the location of the plant can be a bit problematic...

"What?! No way!" Aoba exclaimed, "Kain, there's no possible way you can reach the peak, especially this late in the day!"

"Aoba, I have to try," I reasoned as we walked further into the clearing, going closer to the woods.

"But it'll be nightfall before you reach there and it's just too far and dangerous!" the blue haired man cried, pulling on my arm, "_You can't go!"_

I looked at the shorter male silently and let out a sigh, suddenly overcame with the urge to do as Aoba said and not go. Aoba's grip on my wrist slackened in response.

"_I have to_," I said, facing Aoba.

Aoba's eyes widened at my statement.

"Noiz is really sick and without proper treatment, the infection can prove fatal," I said calmly, taking the hand that was latched onto my wrist into mine, "That, and tomorrow's the weekend. The drugstore in this town isn't open on those days."

I smiled at Aoba, this being shown in the crinkles around my eyes.

"Don't worry, Princess," I said, "I'll be fast as hell getting to and fro."

"Princess" scoffed, "Being "fast as hell" won't protected you from "the unforgiving whelms of Mother Nature and her children"."

"Thioriginell...," I flinched at the reference of what I said to him earlier.

"About my behavior earlier...," I began, looking away from those brown orbs, "I'm sorry. It's just... I knew that you wouldn't have came with me unless I exaggerated what the consequences were."

I let go of his hand in favor of scratching my bandanna clad head with a sardonic chuckle.

"Anyway, we're wasting daylight," I said stretching my back and popping it, "I'll be back in a couple of hours or so."

Aoba pursed his lips while furrowing his eyebrows before replying.

"I know you may be a _deviant,_ but you can only do so much, Kain! You can't possible climb to the peak of this huge ass mountain-mhn?"

I placed a gloved covered finger over his lips with a devious smile, not that he could see of course.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about that~!" I cooed, stroking his face, "Just let Big Brother Kain handle the details, m'kay?"

And with that, I swiftly ran into the woods.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

REdeviant-chapter-three Outtake!

(This is what happens when the Author gets bored and can't make up her mind about shit.)

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

I was currently in my bathroom, filling up a wash basin and pondering what to do now. I honest don't think that Noiz will be about to hold up any longer with such an high fever and intense infection.

_Should I carry him to the doctor? Carrying him won't be a problem... There's Aoba too, but I'm sure that we can work something out._

But as soon as that thought crossed my mind, a shiver worked itself up my spine. Something told me that doing such was a bad idea. Frowning, I went over a list of very logical sounding things to do in a situation such as this. But every idea made me feel... _Off_...

Is this because... The author doesn't feel like deviating from how it went in the first place?

"Well, I mean, you are rewriting this for a reason, Keria," I said, looking up at the omniscient being writing this.

"_**Yeah, but still. You should see the outline. Things are already a bit different..."**_

"Then let's make it more different. There's no use in following the old outline. Hell there isn't _any _outline to follow in the first place," I cut the water flow off and began walking to the spare room Aoba and Noiz was in, "That's probably why it sucked in the first place."

"_**True... But I don't wanna, I already written the outline and everything!"**_

"Now you're being a lazy ass," I retorted walking into the room, drawing the attention of Aoba.

"Who're you talking to?" the blue haired man asked, raising an eyebrow.

I gestured up with my chin, my hands too preoccupied with the basin full of water, "The Author."

Aoba nodded with an, "Ah."

"Is she being lazy again?" Aoba teased, smirking.

"_**Hey! I object to that-!"**_

"You're not even writing the actual story of _Deviant_!" I said exasperated.

"Yeah, you're just writing dialog between us three that will never actually be in the story!"

"_**It will too! It'll just be in an outtake, because I don't think some readers like it when the characters officially break the fourth wall... Unless you're Deadpool. Heu heu heu~"**_

"Who's Deadpool?" Aoba asked.

"Some other fictional character from a totally different franchise," I said offhandedly, sitting beside Aoba and placing the bin between us.

"_**He's fucking awesome. You'd love him. I should write him in here!"**_

"No! Then you'd have to list this story as an X-over and we both know that you're not gonna do it cuz you're-" I began.

"_**Too lazy, I know! I know, I know, I know! But come on! I'm not **_**that**_** lazy! I'm writing this aren't I?"**_

"Because you can't make up your mind whether or not to continue deviating or to stay with the original, suck ass plot line," I replied, smirking at the Author's disgruntlement... I think.

I can't tell because she's too lazy to write her actions.

"_**Argh! Fuck you Kain!"**_

"You can't. I'm a fictional character. But maybe we can make something work out~"

"_**...Giggle, giggle. Really funny."**_

"You love me."

"_**Of course, I created you. It's an obligation."**_

"El oh el."

"Keria, I think you should start writing the actual story," Aoba interrupted, "It's okay to change a few things. You are rewriting this story for that exact reason, right?"

"_**True, true! Thanks, Aoba. I'll be going-"**_

_**CRASH!**_

And then suddenly, a dashing masked vigilante dressed in black and red crashed through the window above Noiz's cot, screaming, "Chimichanga!"

It was the dashing _DEADPOOL~!_

I slapped my forehead, groaning, "Keria!"

I heard weird ass, echo-y giggles that belonged to said person.

"_**I had to~!"**_

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

That weird word (Thioriginell): (Thee-oh-re-gi-nel)


	4. Chapter 4

The wind whistled around my body as I jumped from tree to tree through the air. Soon, the familiar tune of an old time American artist's, about believing to fly, passed through my lips as I jumped into the air and free fell for a bit. After a few moments, I landed on a branch and launched off of it, the rebound sending me _flying_, and alsomaking a few branches slap and scratch at my face, but it didn't scare me - if anything, it excited me even more.

"Yeah~!" I screamed in pure euphoria as I flipped over a branch.

To be honest, I felt bad that I was having _this _much excitement - after all, Noiz was in danger of being overtaken by the infection. But when that sensation of flying through the air gets to you... _By Thioriginell! _

_I'd have to thank the people that taught me extreme parkour once again~! _I thought as I began free running up the incline of the mountain.

Then I heard something growling and promptly hauled my ass up back into the trees... With a rather unmanly yelp, if I do say so myself...

Up ahead, I saw the clearing where I usually gathered the coneflowers from rapidly come up, so I began to slow my roll. I then launched myself into the air and rolled onto the ground before stopping myself with a couple of back-flips.

"And I give that, a ten!" I cheered, probably scaring off some of the woodland creatures.

I laughed before stopping and slapping my masked cheeks.

_I gotta focus here! I gotta find those flowers... That are not here..._

The clearing was completely empty. Not that I was surprised, though. This _isn't _the peak after all. I looked up with a pout.

"Well there went my hopes for not going the distance to the peek...," I mumbled as I kicked at the ground.

I pulled down my mask and rubbed at my chin, frowning at the slightly stubbly feeling I felt through my gloves. I had planned to shave at the end of the day, but now that I have two housemates, I'll be too paranoid to do so.

_Maybe in the shower? ...Nah, I don't have a mirror-wait, I have a hand held one somewhere in my room! Hah, so smart-damn it me, get your shit together!_

I slapped my bare cheeks, focusing myself.

_Gotta get the flower!_

I pulled my mask up and launched into the trees with a renewed vigor, wanting to save that stranger that I actually never met and wanting to wipe that sad expression off that Bluey's face.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

As time progress, my surroundings became brighter and colder; I could see my breath and landing became a tad more difficult, since the branches was covered in snow and ice. Eventually, the trees began to space out and soon there wasn't enough to tree hop, so I took to the ground, running at a pace that was more subdued compared to how it was earlier, but still pretty fast. As I traveled higher and higher, I had to stop running and jumping up the ledges and began to actually climb (it was hard as hell to _jump _and _land_ and actually _stay put_ on slippery ass ice). My pace was slowed, but compared to anyone else, I was making _tremendous_ progress.The sun was touching the horizon when I made it near the peak. And there they were: a multitude of coneflowers, making me cheer lightly (the air was beginning to become really thin up here, so I really had to lay off any excess movements). I pulled out a satchel I had brought with me and began to load up on the flowers... After a quick break of course.

I sat down at the edge of the small platform the flowers were located at (I can't help but to wonder how they survive up here?) and leaned back on my palms with a small sigh. Despite running, jumping, and climbing for such a long distance, I was barely even winded. I leaned forward, hunching over, and looked at my gloved hands. I'm not all that cold either.

_Is that because of how high my temperature runs? Or maybe because I've been moving constantly? Or because...?_

I shivered at the phantom sensations of sharp metal trailing over me.

_Let's not go there..._

"That's enough resting for now...," I murmured, standing up and dusting myself off.

As I began to pick the flowers, I couldn't help but to shiver once more - something feels rather weird...

(_Something tells me that shit is going down for real_...)

"By Thioriginell... _**Etwas sagt mir, dass die Scheiße wird für Echt nach unten zu gehen...**_," I rumbled in my native tongue.

I began to shove more flowers into my bag and hurry down the incline as fast as I could.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Aoba's POV**_

Despite how shitty he was feeling, Aoba had to admit that the scenery before him was beautiful. The window before the blue haired man gave off a view of nature in it most natural state From the clearing that the cottage was situated in, he could see that they were on a incline; the trees loomed over the clearing with their branches ominously dancing in the breeze and, in the far distance, you could see a mountain topped of with snow standing there, looking as if it was a god among the peasants with such an imposing aura it gave off.

Aoba was slightly startled when a pair of small birds suddenly passed by the window, seemingly chasing one another in a game of tag. At an unspoken cue, Aoba walked away from the window with a small sigh, heading towards the slumbering blond not to far away from the window. He knelt by his side and gingerly removed the folded up towel on his forehead, dunking the fabric into the wash bin that Kain left beside Noiz's cot, and squeezing out the excess water. Aoba dabbed at Noiz's face, mopping up the sweat that accumulated there and proceeded to fold the towel back up and place it back on the blond's forehead. With that, the blue haired man settled back onto his knees, sitting there quietly with his thoughts, feeling immensely guilty over the entire situation that he landed Noiz and himself in.

_It's all my fault, _the young man thought to himself, not for the first time. _If only I was paying more attention to my surroundings or _something...

At times like this, Aoba wished that his brother was by his side. Ren always comforted him at times like this, always having the right words to say to him to cheer him up no matter what the situation. But he wasn't there. It was just him, a unconscious Noiz, and a mysterious _deviant_.

Aoba pursed his lips at the thought of the masked man and shifted in his seat until his legs where crossed in front of him. The blue haired man didn't know what to make of the _deviant_. _Deviants_ are, by nature, very social creatures and so they have very tight cliques amongst themselves and other people; it's rare to see a _deviant_ living all alone like Kain. Aoba frowned thoughtfully as he went through a mental list of most _deviant _tendencies and the masked clad one that was currently housing him didn't seem to fitting quite so well in any of them. That very fact didn't sit too well with the blue haired man. Kain seemed okay enough, but putting as much trust in him as he was could prove to be an extremely fatal mistake on his part. But he had no choice in the matter. Noiz was too injured for Aoba not to go the mysterious vigilante's abode. The young man once more cursed himself for his carelessness. It was nothing more than pure luck that there happened to be a pair of bobcat hunters near by to put the feral beast down. They were the ones that told Aoba about Kain in the first place. Since they themselves didn't have their first-aid kit, they insisted that "Kage" was the go-to person for a situation such as Noiz's - "Kage" should be able to fix him right up. Aoba was hesitant, but the hunters seemed sincere enough in their words. So following their directions, Aoba carried Noiz to seek the help of this "Kage". He later wished that the hunters would've informed him that Kage's home was halfway across the mountain.

On the way there, Noiz's wound became terribly infected, despite their best efforts, and fever began to set in. It was just icing on the cake when the blond passed out on the last leg of their trip, causing their travel time to lengthen. Everything seemed to be coming apart at the seams for Aoba. So when the woods suddenly gave way to a clearing with a homely looking cottage smack dab in the middle of it, Aoba almost cried (and dropped the unconscious man on his back) in relief. The blue haired man rushed to the cottage as quickly as he could with dead weight on his back and laid Noiz down before proceeding to knock on the door. His spirits began to dampen when there wasn't any answer. They withered away after knocking and yelling didn't bring anyone to the door. The young man walked back to his partner with heavy shoulders and slumped over the blond. He nestled Noiz's head in his lap, making sure that he was a comfortable as possible and then proceeded to bawl his eyes out. After a while, he somewhat manage to calm down enough to get his bearings together (if Ren saw him loosing hope so quickly, he'll be disappointed). That's when he noticed the footsteps nearing him. He quickly looked up and promptly lost his shit, screaming when he saw blood all over the incoming person's body.

"Gide damn!"

"St-stay away!"

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

Aoba was left alone with Noiz when Kage walked out to find the misplaced antibiotics. The blue haired man listened to the sounds of random things being tossed to and fro about the house as the masked man looked for the medicine, cursing every now and then each time he didn't find what he was looking for. Aoba knelt beside Noiz's head and brushed away sweat strands of blond hair plastered on his forehead. Aoba pursed his lips as he thought of the situation that he was presented to. He honestly didn't know what to make of Kage. He didn't seemed to care too much about the duo in his home, but he seemed insistent on keeping them here away from "the unforgiving whelms of Mother Nature and her children". It seemed that there were many sides to the masked man... That put Aoba on edge. But it wasn't as if they were going to get any help anywhere else, so the young man had no choice but to trust him, for Noiz's sake at least.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

So here he was, waiting for Kage, Kain, to come back with this supposed "miracle flower". Aoba sighed and stood up from his perch on the ground, stretching out his body for a moment before deciding to venture around the _deviant's_ home for a bit. Upon exiting the room, the young man was in the hallway. To his left was the living room and, by extension, the kitchen as well as the entrance to the house along with a back door. In front of him was the bathroom and to his left was the end of the hallway with a door on either side of it. Aoba went to the left, heading towards the door on the left of the wall. When he opened it, he was greeted by the sight of a regular hallway closet, filled with miscellaneous items such as blankets, winter wear, and an occasional heater or battery powered fan. The door on the right wall seemed to be Kain's room since there was a bed with the covers messily strung about it. Keeping in mind that he was in another person's room and that he shouldn't be snooping, Aoba stepped into the doorway and surveyed it.

He could see that, despite the mess the deviant made of his bed, Kain was quite a clean person. Every thing was put together in a neat and orderly fashion. In front of him on the right was a bed with a nightstand next to it. To his left he could see a window with a small bookshelf under it. Beside the window was tall oak chest with a desk right next to it. On the desk seems to be a closed laptop with a couple of files sprawled about it along with an earpiece and some miscellaneous items. Despite his better judgment, Aoba walked further into the room towards the desk. He began to reach for one of the files when something on the wall next to the desk caught his attention. It was several pictures taped to it. They seemed to be pictures of his friends, or family, but they never contain a snapshot of the person that might be Kain, however.

_Strange... Is he that paranoid of people seeing his face?_ Aoba couldn't help but to think as he straightened up.

With that, the blue haired male turned on his heel and left the room without a backwards glance. He never looked through the files.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

After scouting out the rest of the house, Aoba returned to Noiz's side and began to change out the rag on his forehead once again. Upon placing the cool rag onto the blond's forehead, the blue haired male was ceased by a sudden sense of paranoia causing him to tense up. He carefully listened for any out of place sounds that didn't belong in the wilderness but couldn't discern anything that may have sounded suspicious. He flinched when he saw a sudden shadow pass over the window, blocking out the fading daylight momentarily. Aoba began to stand up, but faltered when he caught sight of the unconscious Noiz- he didn't want to leave him alone and defenseless. Hearing the sound of footsteps leaving from the cottage caused the male to whip his head towards the room's entrance: whoever it was that was here just left.

_It should be okay now, right? _He thought as he began to leave the room.

His hand grazed the light switched as he exited the room and was startled when he was shocked from touching it

"What in the hell?" Aoba murmured as he clutched his hand, staring at the light switch in slight apprehension.

That's when the lights began to flicker.

_Maybe, I shouldn't leave..._

Despite his worries, Aoba continued out of the room and began to walk towards the back of the house, where he thought the sound of footsteps had traveled to and fro from. The blue haired man stopped in the kitchen when he noticed that many of Kain's kitchen appliances were working overtime as the lights continued to flicker.

"Maybe I should unplug one of them since it seems he's having a power shortage," Aoba thought aloud as he walked towards a toaster that had smoke wafting from it, "It's be a shame to have them all short out..."

Aoba shivered at the sensation of static in the air as he reached towards the plug-

That was when he heard the sound of Kain screaming.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

_**{AN: *le gasp* Oh mai gosh, it's an update~! *Angels begin to sing in the background* I'm rather surprised at myself for finishing this one as quickly as I did, actually! Heehee~ Anywho! Enjoy the update! Hopefully, I'll be able to pump out more chapters since I'm not swamped to finish the writing assignment for the art school I'm wanting to attend! **_

_**So, see you on the next update!**_


	6. Chapter 6

As I rushed down the mountain, the feeling of foreboding grew stronger and stronger in my chest, making it to where I could barely catch my breath. I had to stop several times to regulate my breathing. All the while, my eyes began to tingle and I could faintly hear the sound of someone screaming in the distance...

"Ugh!" I stopped once more to rub at the skin around them.

Not that it helped any, but it was worth a try. I scowled as the itching grew worse and worse but I refused to rub at them, already knowing the outcome of that action. At my defiance, my eyes suddenly began to feel as it someone was scrubbing at them with sandpaper.

"_By Thioriginell!_" I cried as I fell down onto my knees, throwing my glasses off in favor of cradling my eyes.

My surroundings seemed to become warped- the sounds of wildlife began to fluctuate and the ground seemed to roll beneath me, making me teeter on my knees before eventually falling onto my side. Despite laying still on the ground, I still felt as if someone had strapped me to the top of a spinning pinwheel. I didn't dare to open my eyes for I already knew that my blurry vision would just add onto the influx of the nauseating feeling I was experiencing. Everything eventually became too intense for me to handle and I felt myself began to retch-

Then I was in my kitchen.

I pursed my lips and glanced about my surrounding. Yep, this was definitely my kitchen, except for the fact that everything was in monochrome- nothing but black and white. This only meant one thing.

"A vision," I murmured dispassionately, looking around for anything out of place.

I frowned when I noticed that the lights were flickering at random intervals.

"Is the generator acting up? I could've swore I cut it off..." I questioned myself, rubbing at my mask.

Before I could ponder too much on the subject, I noticed Aoba walking from the hallway, seemingly set on going somewhere. Before he walked to the back door, something seemed to catch his attention in the kitchen. I followed his line of vision to one of my appliances which was my toaster. He mouthed a few words that I couldn't hear, something that's common in my visions, and walked towards it.

"Uh oh," I groaned, already having an idea of where this vision was going.

Suddenly, everything seemed to press against me and the scene blurred as it began to show something else. It cut to Aoba seemingly screaming as he clutched the plug. I scowled.

All too soon, I found myself back in the forest collapsed on the ground. I laid there for a moment to gather my bearing, moaning wearily as I rolled onto my back to feel the breeze on my face.

"Alright!" I thundered as I stood up.

I promptly got back onto my hands and knees again to search for my glasses. Once finding them, I launched myself down the mountain with a renewed vigor. Although I was filled with a renewed determination, I couldn't help but to groan rather loudly as I jumped through the trees, scaring away a few birds. The toaster I have is a bit old, with it being a hand-me-down, so on the underside of the plug was nothing but bare wires. Unfortunate for me, Aoba doesn't know that. Hell, from the sides it looks perfectly fine and on occasion given myself a pretty nasty shock from gripping it wrong.

"_Damn it!_" I cursed, making myself go faster so I could prevent the upcoming disaster.

Soon enough, the trees sudden gave way to the clearing where my house was located and I broke into a run, racing across it. I sped past the window that belongs to the guest room and peeked into it and was relieved when I saw Aoba in the midst of tending to the still unconscious Noiz. I don't know how far am I along in the time-line, but I have a feeling that Aoba noticed my figure going past the window, so he's going to investigate soon.

I was now at the back of my house in front of my generator investigating it. It was making strange whirring sounds that it shouldn't be making- it's one of those expensive soundless ones after all. Tentatively, I walked around it searching for any damages of some sort and immediately scowled at the sight beside it. On the right of it, where the shut off switch was located, was a gaping hole. It seemed that something had dug into it with a reckless abandon and tore out everything inside.

"Wouldn't Aoba hear something tearing into the generator?" I groaned as I crouched before it.

_But then again, if whoever or whatever it was could do _this _then I wouldn't want Aoba facing it anyway. _I thought as I began to fuss over the generator, trying to see anyway to shut it off.

I couldn't see any spare pieces laying around, making me suspicious of foul play.

"Who did this?" I grumbled, my frustration making me irritable.

It also made me unmindful of my surrounds because before I knew it, I was touching the generator. At first, nothing happened, making me release a pent up sigh of relief. That's when the generator made a terrible screeching noise and excess electricity raced up my arm.

A scream filled the air.


	7. Chapter 7

At that instant, I couldn't help but to notice how pretty the sky looked at that moment. At that point of time, the sun was hidden by the trees, but from its direction I could still see its rusty hue giving off what little of light it had left. From then on, it began to gradually give way to and merge with the purple of the upcoming night sky. Combined with the clouds that reflected the red of the setting sun, the sky looked absolutely breath taking.

Initially, I screamed at the sudden invasion of all this excess electricity- after so long my body didn't know how to react to it. But it quickly became accustomed to it once again, translating the pain into unbelievable pleasure and making the electricity my strength. I then felt as if I could rule the world with nothing stopping me-

"_**Your power will be used for the greater good."**_

I let out a strangled scream at the sudden presence of the memory that I buried so long ago. I quickly pulled away my hand from the generator, cutting off the flow of the electricity from my body. I tripped over my feet and promptly fell onto my ass. I vaguely registered Aoba coming rushing up to me asking if I was okay and began to stand back up- I still needed to shut that thing off. I staggered towards the back door but my legs buckled below me and gave out. Letting out a curse, I called Aoba to me as I propped myself onto my elbows and let my head hang back.

"Kain...?" he called out worriedly, kneeling down beside me.

I picked my head up and sat up normally before giving the blue haired man a closed-eyed grin.

"I-I'm okaaay~," I slurred, giving a thumbs up.

Aoba obviously didn't seem convinced as he pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow at me. Such sass.

"Fiiine!" I drawled, not having full control of my face at the moment, "I will be in little bit. But I need you to do something for me."

My words came out as garbled, so it took a few tries to get the male beside me to understand what I was saying.

"The breaker box... Is in the hallway clo-set," I said haltingly, "Beside it is the transfer... Switch..."

The world itself seemed to sway at random intervals, making me disorientated and somewhat nauseous.

"Cut it off while I take a nap..." I murmured as I fell forward.

I barely registered the sensation of someone catching me as I fell unconscious.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

Aoba stared at the now unconscious _deviant _in his arms. He could feel Kain's body faintly trembling involuntarily and faint groans escaped his lips even with him being knocked out. The blue haired man gently laid his hand over his neck checking his pulse just to be sure that he wasn't going to fade away on him, but surprisingly, Kain's pulse was strong and steady. Aoba let out a sigh of relief at the steady pulsation only to tense up again when the generator made an awful screeching noise. Cursing, the young man laid mask-clad _deviant_ onto the ground and raced back into the house, searching for the transfer switch. He opened up the hallway closet and hurriedly shoved some miscellaneous items about until he found the breaker panel and the switch. He quickly shut it off. Instantaneously, all the lights dimmed and the sounds of random appliances going haywire halted. Aoba let out a sigh of relief as his tense posture relaxed and leaned against the hallway. Then he suddenly remember the knocked-out _deviant_ in the backyard, making him perk up and race back outside. Upon exiting the door, he saw that Kain was sitting up and struggling to stand up on his own, making Aoba rush towards him wanting to help.

"Thanks..." The _deviant_ murmured as he leaned against the shorter male, making his stagger a little.

"Don't mention it," Aoba replied as he maneuvered the duo into the house.

Kain made a sound from the back of his throat as they shuffled through the kitchen.

"Ugh, smells like burning rubber in here," he grumbled, "I'll most likely have to buy some more stuff to replace all that has been ruined..."

Aoba made a face as he looked at the masked deviant whom seemed to be glaring at... Aoba followed his line of sight- a toaster?

"What did you just say?" Aoba questioned as he pulled Kain along.

"I said what I said," the said man seemed to retort.

But Aoba couldn't understand him because he seemed to be talking in another language.

"Hey make sure you stay away from that toaster from now on," the deviant said suddenly, in Japanese this time, nudging his head against Aoba's as he spoke, "That thing can kill."

Aoba raised an eyebrow as he scoffed, "A toaster can _kill?"_

Kain nodded gravely, with a serious glint in his eyes making Aoba sigh.

"You need to rest," the blue haired man insisted.

"That besides the point," the deviant replied.

"What is the point?"

"...Toasters can kill."

"Pfft-!"

An exasperated laugh resonated in the still house.

Kain gave a large yawn as the duo arrived at his room. He unraveled his arm from the back of Aoba's neck and stumbled to his bed, sitting on it and laying back with a sigh. After a beat, he sat back up and reached into his pocket and produces a zip-lock bag of what seemed to be flowers. Brown eyes widened in surprised when he registered what they were.

"Are these...?" Aoba trailed off as the deviant gave him the bag.

"Yep~!" Kain crooned as propped his knee up and rested against it, "I'm fixing to crash in a minute, so you're going to have to handle treating Naiz yourself."

"Noiz," Aoba corrected, "How do I-?"

"Grind up the flower itself and have Naiz- ehem, Noiz, drink it," the masked _deviant_ explained, "Mouth to mouth is recommended so nothing gets spilled or anything."

Aoba tried to force down the blush that Kain's words brought to his face.

"Anyway, you can find a grinding bowl in the kitchen cabinets- just don't touch the toaster. And since the generator is out of service, use the lamps in the hallway closet. You can find fuel at the bottom of it," he continued, resting his cheek against his knee.

Aoba frowned at the man before him in concern.

"Hey," he called out uncertainly, "You're going to be okay, right? Do you need anything...?"

Kain hummed at the question.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. I just need to rest," he replied after a while, looking out of the window on the wall to right of him, "And I need to see the first-aid kit, if you're not using it."

At that request, Aoba bound towards the guest room to get it. After checking on Noiz, the blue haired male returned to Kain's room with the kit. The said man was in the middle of taking off his gloves when he arrived. On his right hand was vicious burn marks that made Aoba gasp in horror.

"It's not as bad than it seems," the deviant murmured slowly, stretching out and yawning, "Do you need to know where anything else is? I'm crashing..."

Aoba shook his head whist waving his hands in front of him in a negative. The deviant chuckled before motioning for him to leave. As soon as the door closed, the blue haired man heard the bed creak as if something collapsed on it. Resisting the urge to go back in, Aoba walked down the hallway going to the guest room, giving Kain his much needed privacy.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

(Outtake)

As soon as the door shut, I allowed myself a moment of weakness as I collapsed onto my beg, struggling not to cry out in pain. The pleasure that I felt from before was long gone, in its stead was nothing but pain. I sat back up and began to take off my clothing, mindful of the burns I had racing across my body. As soon as I was stripped of my clothing, I let out a sigh of relief as the cool air hit my over heated body. I reached for my masked but then halted, looking at the door. Pursing my lips, I reached over and flipped the lock before dragging my mask over my head, knocking my glasses askew and removing my bandanna with it as well. Clad in nothing but my underwear, I walked over to my mirror to inspect the damage. In the low light, I could see a pattern of burns crisscrossing all over the span of my body, marring my already scarred grey skin. I groaned lightly and racked my hands through my hair, making it messier than it already was. Looking at it through the mirror, I decided to let it down, letting the light colored sweaty strands tumble down my back. I ambled to where I put the first-aid kit at and removed the burn salve from its confines. I scowled lightly at the tube. It length was as long as my hand's but I highly doubt it'll do for my entire body... Regardless, I got to work putting on the cream.

"_**Your power will be used for the greater good."**_

I paused momentarily before continuing with my task.

"Pfft... Greater good, hunh?" I growled lowly as I rubbed my arm, "Only thing it's good for is being a royal pain in the ass."

_But then again, I did foresee Aoba's "death"..._

My scowl eased up and my expression turned thoughtful. I then shook my head and resumed rubbing in the salve on my body.

"Whatever..."

_I can't allow myself to rely on that power, god-given or not. It's too dangerous no matter how much it may benefit me to use it._

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

_**{AN: Whoooh~! Compared to earlier, I am on a roll as to getting out these chapters! I was thinking of posting a few chapters whenever I have a few of them typed up, but nah! Why delay in giving what the people want, heehee~ So with that being said, a double update for you dearies! But with that being said, I just got done with this chapter, so excuse any typos. Usually I have a day for writing and another day for editing but whateves-... **_

_**So, see you on the next update!**_


	8. Chapter 8

Sunlight filtered into my room through the window, hitting me directly in the eye and making me wake up from my pleasant, dreamless slumber. I cursed the fact that I didn't close it the night before. Sleeping is fun, especially if it's the only refuge you have from the pain wracking your body. I didn't bother getting up after a while, choosing to lay in bed for a while underneath my warm sheets and enjoy the sounds of nature. I contemplated even going back to sleep-

_CRASH!_

A resounding, "_Fuck!" _echoed throughout the house.

I smiled wryly to myself as the option of sleeping in eluded me- I'm wide awake now. I sat up, groaning at the tightness of my skin. I looked down at myself and saw that I needed to change the bandages that covered my bare body, already knowing that the burns were most likely oozing. I made a face at the thought. I eased myself out of bed, wincing all the while at the pain of the burns. The pain I was experiencing was, well, a pain, but beggars can't be choosers. If I was any regular person_, _or _deviant_ for that matter, I would be most likely dead or really burnt up.

_I guess I own you for that gift, you bastard,_ I thought ruefully as I shuffled over to my closet to grab my robe.

I walked over to my nightstand and grabbed my glasses from on top of it before opening a drawer and pulling out a disposable surgical mask. I didn't really bother with my hair for I didn't feel like reaching up to tie my bandanna on and aggravating my burns. Once I was set, I unlocked my door and walked out of my room.

"Uhh... I hope I didn't wake you," Aoba said apologetically from the kitchen as I entered the living area.

"Naah, I was already awake," I replied casually, leaning against the counter-top of the bar that separated the kitchen from the living area, "Hearing you making such a racket just gave me motivation to get up."

The male before me gave a sheepish laugh while rubbing the back of his head. I looked around the kitchen and saw that there were random foodstuff laying about the kitchen; I frowned lightly.

"If you wanted something to eat you could've just knocked on my door and asked," I said airily as I pushed off the counter, lightly cringing at the sudden flair of pain that my actions caused, "I wouldn't have minded much."

Aoba looked at me as if I suddenly grew a second head.

"You're still recovering!" he exclaimed, pointing at me with a scowl, "I am not going to make an injured man cook when I'm perfectly able to do so myself."

Aoba's expression eased up as he looked away from me and crossed his arms, "Besides, you've already done more than enough for me and Noiz-"

"Noiz and I," I interrupted.

Aoba's guilty expression soon turned into one of irritation. I chuckled at the display.

"Anyway," I continued, "I only climbed the mountain and got some flowers as well as give you guys some shelter. Everything else that happened was of my own accord. If anything, I haven't done _enough_ for you two. Besides, I'm the host of the house. It's bad taste to let your guest cook their own meals."

I could practically hear Aeron scolding me for just letting the idea pass through my mind. However...

"Nope," the male before me said stubbornly, "You're going to relax on the couch, read a book or something, and not cook breakfast today."

I pouted, "But-"

"No."

"Come on-"

I cut myself off when Aoba gave me a glare that could kill.

"_Sit on the couch and relax while I cook_," he said, stressing his words.

I blinked and before I knew it, I was on the couch with a book in my lap. Strange.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

"So Kain, how are you healing up?" Aoba called from the kitchen as he worked over the gas stove cooking breakfast.

I perked up at the statement and put my book _The Mechanical Prince_ down. It was pretty interesting- it was about this young man who's parents was a demon and a demon hunter, making him a warlock. The poor guy then ended up in a weird ass love triangle between these two best friends that were also guys... I opened up my robe and check beneath my bandages. The burns healing up quiet nicely, at least compared to a couple of days ago, they were.

"They seem to be healing up just nice," I replied as I adjusted the gauze on my chest.

I noticed that Aoba was staring at me with a strange expression on his face. I tilted my head at the look at the blue haired man concentrated back on his cooking.

"You was _electrocuted_ a couple of days ago and yet you aren't seriously incapacitate to the point of being paralyzed or _hell_ dead," Aoba said as he flipped whatever he was cooking.

He glanced over his shoulder at me, "How is that?"

I pursed my lips beneath my mask as I looked away from his inquiring eyes. I'm not ready to explain the true reasons why I'm not dead.

"Maybe it's because I'm a deviant," I settled for, inwardly cringing at how my statement seemed to end in a question.

The man in the kitchen hummed at my answer, not entirely buying my response. Not that I can blame him. I picked my book back up and opened it up to where I left off. I was looking at the page, reading the words but I wasn't truly there. To be honest, I've been through worst. If I had concentrated hard enough, I could've gotten out of that situation without any burns or repercussions whatsoever.

"How's Noiz doing," I found myself asking, slouching onto the couch with the book in my lap.

Aoba seemed to be taking the food out of the skillet as he answered, "Since giving him that flower, his infection has been improving. Last night, his fever broke and he's been showing signs of waking up."

I could hear the excitement in the male's voice, making me happy for him.

"It's about time!" I said cheerfully as I slowly stood up from the couch, "I've been wanting to meet this son of a bitch~."

Aoba scoffed at my word choice and began to set the food on the table. I lumbered towards the hallway with the intent of changing my bandages before eating. I could feel the man in the kitchen watching me.

"Do you need help with anything?" he called out as he peeked over the bar at me, watching my awkward shuffle to my bedroom.

"..." I thought about if for a second.

_I already know that I'm going to need help changing out my bandages and applying salve... _

"...If you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you could help change my bandages again," I said finally, resuming my shuffle to the bathroom.

The footsteps behind me answered my question.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

Kain walked Aoba towards his room. Normally, if Kain was anybody else, the blue haired male would be nervous going into their room, especially after only knowing them for a couple of days, but with Kain, however... Aoba was still a bit nervous, but not terribly so. The deviant pushed open the slightly ajar door and entered the room.

"Excuse the mess," the tall male implored as he skirted around his bed to go to the desk situated on the right corner of the room, "I haven't been about to clean as well as I should with the burns all over my body.

"No, no! It's fine," Aoba assured, while waving his hands in front of him.

_It's neater than my room, even on a bad day, _he thought as he entered the deviant's room.

Kain sat in the desk chair and began to slip his arms from his robe, taking care not to let it unravel from his waist. Seeing Kain taking off his robe so readily made him happy compared to the first time Aoba helped him. The day after the incident, the burns on his body became blisters and the poor deviant couldn't move without causing himself pain or busting one of them. Swallowing his pride, Kain feebly called out for the only able-bodied person in the house to help him. So for the duration of the weekend, the blue haired man tended to both the _deviant _and the unconscious blond. It wasn't all that bad, in Aoba's opinion. The only hurdle he had to overcome was Kain's unwillingness for anyone to see his body.

"Kain," Aoba had said back then, exasperated, "We're both guys. What you have, I have. So why don't you want me to see you?"

The hunched over man in question was staring his bedroom wall and everything else but the man in front of him with the burn salve. Despite not being able to see the _deviant's_ face, he could read the discomfort reflecting clearly in his eyes. His grip on his royal blue robe tightened and relaxed repeatedly before he spoke.

"Its just that I'm... Underneath my robe isn't..." Kain garbled over his words for a moment before finally confessing, "My body is um... A bit scarred up."

The tall man never seemed so small at that moment as he waited for Aoba's response.

The blue haired man opened his mouth before closing. This is a critical moment, so replying carelessly is out of the question. After a taking a moment to think of what he was going to say, he finally spoke.

"Then you must be really strong," Aoba said simply, taking a step towards Kain and kneeling before him.

"Hunh?" Kain tilted his head and trained all of his attention on the male before him, making him feel rather unnerved.

"Well, if you have a lot of scars, then it means that you've been through a lot of shit right?" Aoba questioned in which the _deviant_ gave a hesitant nod to.

"Then if you're really scarred up, you're really really strong. You should be proud of that," Aoba continued, "It doesn't matter how you got them as long as you survived."

At this point, the kneeling male will admit that he was sort of babbling- he just wanted Kain not to feel bad about his body. The masked man was silent for a while, mulling over his words. Then, without saying anything, he began to slip his arm out of the robe. Aoba was slightly started and stood up in response, carefully watching the _deviant. _More of his grey skin was shown to him along with several painful looking blisters that the burns formed into. Like Kain said, there were scars all over his body. The sheer amount of them made the blue haired slightly worried, but with the fact that Kain was alive and well in front of him made him relax a bit. But burns and scars wasn't the only thing on his body. There were also an intricate array of black tribal-looking tattoos on the masked man's body. They were all over his front and seemed to travel on his back and trail onto his lower body as well.

"Ahem..." Kain called out, awkwardness thickly saturated in his voice.

Aoba snapped out of his examination of the _deviant's _body and began to apologize profusely as he got to work applying the salve. Since then, Kain didn't bother to put on clothing that excessively hid his skin, making Aoba happy that he earned some of the _deviant's_ trust.

"Aoba?" Kain called out, breaking the said person out of his revery.

"Ah sorry, sorry," he said as he knelt before him and began to undo the gauze around his body.

"Anyway," Aoba began breezily, applying burn salve on the burns, "I've been meaning to apologize for putting you through so much trouble these past couple of days. Your help has really helped _Noiz and I_ through a bind."

The blue haired man could feel Kain's chest rumble with a suppressed chuckle from his emphasize on "Noiz and I".

"Really, there's no need for you to apologize or thank me so much," Kain insisted with a wave of his hand, "But I accept it nevertheless."

The _deviant_ gave a closed eye smile as he continued, "My ego is really stroked when handsome men thank me while on their knees~"

A beat passed before a pained grunt filled the air.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

In retaliation for my perverted remark, Aoba made my bandages a tad too tight. But the look on his face was oh so worth it.

The weekend passed without an incident and soon it was the beginning of a new week. A couple of days into it, Noiz finally woke up. I was in the living area on the couch reading the end of _The Mechanical Prince_ when it happen.

"By Thioriginell, you couldn't be satisfied with one, couldn't you Jess," I whispered tearfully as I flipped a page, "You just had to get both of them... _I love it._"

"Noiz!"

I perked up at the exclamation and sat up on the couch. I started to get up, but I decided to wait and let the duo have their alone time, so I began where I felt off in _The Mechanical Prince_\- After so many years, the now immortal Jess has found his reincarnated lover who evidently remember his past life and his love for Jess.

"Now fuck," I murmured vehemently as I read on.

_Oh wait, it's a book for teens. They ain't gonna show that..._

"Kain c'mere!" Aoba called from the guest room.

"M'kay," I answered, putting down the book and walking towards his location

Aoba was kneeling beside the now away Noiz when I entered the room. I faltered for a moment and reached up to touch my head- my hair was visible. I glanced down at myself- khaki shorts and a black, sleeveless polo shirt. This is rather revealing compared to what I usually wear. At least I still have my mask. But, still... Having so much showing is now getting to be a bit unnerving. Aoba must've sense my unease and called me closer.

_Come on, get it together,_ I prepped myself, _He's just nineteen, so there's no need to be nervous._

I knelt beside Aoba and gave Noiz a closed-eyed grin with a wave.

"Hi," I said simply.

Noiz didn't respond. Instead he settled for staring at me with a rather blank expression. Aoba gave a strained smile and nudged the blonde whispering for him not to be rude and say something.

"For a _deviant_ you sure do seem demure," the pierced teen said after a while.

The image of me in the attire of a housewife popped into mind suddenly, serving tea to my guest...

"Noiz!" the male beside me admonished.

My face became tense as I tried to resist the urge but ultimately I failed.

"_Pfftt! Hahahaha~!_" I burst out laughing- the mental image was too much.

"I've been called so many things, but _demure_ isn't one of them," I said after catching my breath.

I straightened up with a serious face, "Don't call me that again."

My eyes narrowed.

"_**I'm manly as fuck**_."

The duo peered at me with startled faces. Noiz piped up.

"Are you flexing?" he asked pointing towards my bare arms that weren't covered in bandages.

"...Maybe."

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

Noiz was a brat, no doubt about it. But I'll have to admit he's a funny brat. The duo was inside the house doing Thioriginell knows what while I was outside practicing my forms. My body was still sore from the burns that I acquired almost a week ago, but compared to anyone else, they healed up rather quickly. Besides, I couldn't let a little discomfort make me flabby. After delivering a combo onto the padded tree before me, I relaxed my stance whist catching my breath. I sat down for a moment, spreading my limbs. I then took a quick glance at the generator.

For obvious reasons, I haven't touched the machinery ever since it malfunctioned; I simply let the generator run itself dry. The gaping hole at the side of it is what bothered me the most. Whoever, or whatever, did that damage had to be super strong in order to pierce the metal and tear out its inner parts with seemingly no problem. And then you have the fact that whoever did it had also taken whatever that tore out of the thing...

(**Oh boy... This is just getting more and more complicated.)**

"_**Oh, man… Das wird ja immer komplizierter.**_" I rumbled in my native tongue.

That's when I heard footsteps approaching. I didn't bother to get up for I already knew who it was.

"Sup," I called out to the blonde teen, "Where's Aoba."

(Taking a nap)

"_Dann mach ich mal ein Nickerchen_," was his reply.

I opened my eyes, when did I closed them?, and looked over to Noiz who was standing beside me.

(So you speak German, hunh?)

"_Du sprichst also Deutsch, hunh?_" I acknowledge, stating the obvious.

Now that I think about it, he did have an accent whenever he spoke. Funny that I notice it now.

(Obviously)

"_Offensichtlich_," he replied.

I gave a little smirk from beneath my mask. _Little shit_.

(So, what is it I can help you with?)

"_Also, womit kann ich dir helfen?_" I asked as I sat up and crossed my legs.

Noiz was silent for a moment before he spoke.

(Aoba said that you had traveled up the peak of that mountain to help my infection. How in the hell did you manage that?)

"_Aoba hat mir erzählt, dass du bis zur Spitze des Berges geklettert bist, um meine Infektion zu heilen,_" he said offhandedly, "_Wie zur Hölle hast du das geschafft_?"

(I'm fast as hell.)

I smirked, "_Ich bin verdammt schnell_."

(Anyway, Aoba said that I should thank you for your efforts... So thanks)

The young man raised an eyebrow at my remark before continuing, "_Wie auch immer, Aoba hat gesagt, dass ich mich für deine Hilfe bedanken sollte… also, Danke_."

I blinked and gave a closed eyed grin.

(Get on your knees and call me "daddy" and we'll be even~)

"_Geh runter auf die Knie und nenn mich "Daddy" und deine Schuld ist beglichen~_"

A beat of silence passed. A pained cry resonated in the air, scaring off a few birds.

_Still worth it, _I thought as I covered my groaned whist laying on the ground.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

I was in the kitchen hunched over a pot of boiling water on the stove when Aoba walked in.

"I'm assuming that you're the reason why Noiz is pouting?" the blue haired man asked me as he leaned against the bar.

I turned around to face him and his eyes zeroed in on the ice pack that I got from the first aid kit pressed against my crotch. He snickered at my predicament.

"I guess you learned your lesson," he concluded.

I gave a weary chuckle as I turned back to the stove. I saw a dumpling rise up to the top and I quickly scooped it out.

"He just can't take a joke," I complained as I continued to fish out the dumplings that were rising to the top of the boiling pot and placing them on a plate beside the stove.

I then slid to the other side of the stove where I was cooking a simple dish of beef tips. I could never make it like Manzo could but I think I could say that I could give him a run for his money. I removed the top of the pot and spooned out a piece of beef. I replaced the top and blew on the meat to cool it before taking a bite. It was nice and tender.

I removed it from heat while exclaiming, "Done!"

"What is?" Aoba asked, looking pass me at the cooked food.

"You'll see~!" I crooned, going into the cabinet and pulling out paper plates and bowls, "Now get Noiz so we can all eat!"

Soon all three of us was gathered around the dinning room table. It was late in the afternoon, so there was a lamp in the middle of the table with several others dotted around the dinning area. I couldn't help but to notice that Noiz didn't seemed too pleased to be in my presence, however; That dude needs to chill- it was a joke after all. Is he homophobic or something?

I narrowed my eyes.

Or has daddy issues?

I shrugged inwardly. I don't think I'm going to find out anytime soon.

"Anyway, this right here," I announced, pointing to Aoba's bowl of beef swathed in brown broth, "Is what you called beef tips. A friend of mine from America taught me this. Usually cook accompany it with rice or noodles, but I didn't have enough rice for everyone."

I pointed to the dumplings on the plate beside the beef tips.

"That right there is a German dish called-"

"Knödel," Noiz finished, already chewing on one of the dumplings.

"Noh-dulu?" Aoba pronounced.

"Knödel is a pretty much a German equivalent of a dumpling," I elaborated for Aoba.

"Did a friend teach you how to cook Knödel?" the blue hair man asked as he tried some of the beef tips. His eyes widened and began to eat more of it, "This is delicious!"

A warm feeling bloomed in my chest at Aoba's approval. I looked over to Noiz and saw that he was eating the beef tips without complaint and a happy smile appeared under my mask.

"Thank you and no," I said, stealthily eating my food while the other two was distracted, "My father taught me that dish. "

My smile dimmed at the mention of my parents. Not that anyone can see it.

"Hunh? Are you German?" Aoba asked, pausing momentarily in eating the food to look at me.

I nodded, "Born and raised."

"When did you come over here to Morinoya?" Noiz asked, this being the first time he spoke to me since this afternoon.

"Well, I didn't come _here_ at first," I said, leaning back in my chair and staring at the empty space in front of me, "I first moved to Midorijima when I was nine."

_To be more accurate, abducted._

"I stayed there until I was nineteen and moved here to Morinoya," I continued, sitting up, "I stayed with a friend of a friend there for a year until I moved completely on my own here."

"Midorijima?" Aoba asked as took a bit out of a dumpling.

"Yep! Do you live there or something?" I asked, swirling my plastic fork in my beef tips.

Aoba nodded, "Both my sibling and my grandma do as well as Noiz."

"But I'm originally from Germany as well," the pierced blond tacked on before taking a bit of the beef tips.

_Germany... A majority of all my childhood memories are filled with happiness..._

I looked down at my food and glanced about to see for any inquiring eyes. Seeing none, I quickly ate my food quietly as I could.

_I miss it there. But there's no use in wanting to go back. No one is there for me now._

Feeling someone looking at me, I began to eat my Knödel by sneaking them beneath my surgical mask.

"Why do you keep your face hidden like that?" Aoba asked, "There's no need to hide it if it's just me and Noiz."

I ate the rest of my Knödel, taking my sweet time, before replying with a smirk, "Noiz and me."

He threw a dumpling at my face. I caught it easily and continued talking.

"Anyway, if I were to show my face," I said, my voice growing serious and drawing in the attention of the two male in front of me, "A great calamity will occur."

Noiz and Aoba glanced at each other with doubting looks as I went on with what I had to say.

"People will fight among themselves and many lives will be claimed because..." I trailed off.

"Because...?" Aoba prompted.

"Because they will all want a piece of this sexiness." I finished, clapping my hands above me and making jazz hands.

More dumplings were thrown by both males.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

_**{AN: DONE! Thank goodness this is finished! I must say, this is by far the longest chapter ever! I spent all day working on this chapter and I must say it is worth eeet~! I hope you enjoy reading it, despite its length because I honestly enjoyed writing it~**_

_**Psst! And a shoutout to Lumina13 for helping me in the German portion of the story~! Heehee~**_

_**So see you in the next update!**_


	9. Chapter 9

I've been living on my own for the past three years all by lonesome, so it took a while to get use to the fact that I had people living with me. But once I got accustomed to it, I found myself looking forward to talking to the duo or simply being in their presence each day. Them being here brought my house to life in a way- it brightened up the place and made the cottage look like someone actually lived in it. I enjoyed myself and the fact that I didn't need to hide myself in front of those two, even allowing them to peek at my face whenever ate on occasion. My heart felt lightened at the fact that they never brought up how I looked beneath it, too. So when the day came for them to leave, you could imagine how discontent I was. But I had to real with myself- those two couldn't stay with me forever, no matter how bad I wanted for them to.

We were currently walking through the woods on a forest trail leading to Morinoya, chatting amongst ourselves and observing the woods and its inhabitants. I was currently wearing a white t-shirt with a black long-sleeved under armor shirt beneath it along with jeans and combat boots. The duo a little ways behind me was sporting some hand me down t-shirts and hiking pants that I grew out of a couple of year back as I picked up some muscle. I told them how I tried to wash the clothing that they came to my house wearing on hand and how everything came out just fine except for the blood stains. Noiz had made a rather sexist remark me about washing clothing on hand to which I retorted about how he was a walking pin cushion that probably couldn't wash a load of clothing by any conventional method anyway. Aoba had to keep us apart to prevent any fist fights from breaking out. I mouthed, "I would've won," to which the blond flipped me the bird.

I stretched my arms above me and folded them behind me with a masked smile. _I am so going to miss these interactions._

I must've voiced my thoughts aloud for I heard a voice pipe up beside me saying, "Then you should come and visit us at Midorijima, Kain!"

I let out a rather _manly_ yelp as I flinched and put down my arms. Looking beside me, I saw its owner looking rather startled before his brown eyes filled with mirth at my actions. Soon laughter bubbled out from his lips, making me pout from beneath my mask. I glanced at Noiz and was a bit peeved to see him smirking in my direction. Embarrassed, I continued to walk down the path without any heed to the duo behind me. A moment passed before I heard footsteps follow behind me. Once the blue haired man's laughter died down, he walked closer to me and continued his statement from earlier.

"But, really though! You should come back to Midorijima and visit from time to time," Aoba said, bumping my shoulder with his, "It's just a ferry ride away after all."

I was silent for a short while, "contemplating" his offer. In reality, however, there was no way in hell I was going back to that place. Especially after all the shit that I've been through there.

_If I go, all that effort put into leaving that place might be futile..._

Suddenly, my thoughts shift gears.

_But what about him?_

My precious person- my savior... My guiding light...

"Maybe," I answered after a while, directing my eyes up at the branches of the trees hanging overhead.

"Took you long enough to decide," Noiz interjected from beside Aoba.

"Yeah," the brown eyed male agreed, "Do you not like us enough to visit?"

I could hear the mischievousness in his voice. With a hidden grin, I played along.

"Well, I mean... You guys are okay to be around, I guess," I said while scratching my bandanna clad head, "I admit, you guys could've been better."

That comment earned me a playful swat on the arm. I chuckled good heartily.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

After a bit, we had arrived at the outskirts of the "Home of the Woods", Morinoya. It was with a heavy heart when I gave them my goodbyes. Aoba had handed me his number so I could ring him up whenever I felt up to visiting Midorijima or just to simply talk. I took it with a smile, but inwardly I knew that I wasn't going to leave to go there anytime. Something drastic will have to happen here, making it imperative for me to leave Morinoya. So soon, I found myself walking all by my lonesome back home. I contemplated tree hopping, but today was a rather beautiful day and I wasn't in any rush to go home now that it was empty of people except me.

_Maybe I should ring up Aeron or Adara...?_ I thought to myself as meandered down the winding trail. _Wait, Athan said that they were on a assignment, so it wouldn't do anyone any good to call them while they're busy. What about Athan? ...Nah, I'm going to see him in a couple of days anyway, so lets save that conversation for later._

I frowned as my options dwindled lower and lower.

_Manzo? _My heart surged at the mention of talking to him. A rather girlish giggle escaped my lips. _...Nope, he's probably super busy doing SMA stuff. He is the head of the Organization of Deviantic Welfare after all._

I sighed.

_Damn I really need some more friends._

I looked at the trees as I was suddenly reminded of Aoba's invitation to visit him at Midorijima. My eyebrows furrowed at the mention of that island. If it wasn't for the fact that Bluey lived _there_ of all places, I would've taken him up on that offer without a hesitation. My eyes clouded as memories came forth from my time there. Each and every single one of them was marred with pain, suffering, and a longing for something long gone; there was barely anything that I missed on that island. Well, excluding a certain someone. The oppressive air around me lightened at the thought of him. If it wasn't for him, I'll still be there in that cold dark place, probably nothing more than a shell of a _deviant_. I haven't heard from him ever since I've left from Midorijima when I was nineteen.

_It's been four years, Gramps... Thioriginell knows that I miss you._

Green eyes framed by glasses narrowed in thought.

_Maybe visiting for a couple of days won't do any harm. I've escaped from there five years ago anyway. They shouldn't be still searching for me right? He should have lost interest in me long ago..._

My face twisted in worry.

_Right?_

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

_**{AN: Bye bye Aoba and Noiz! We won't be seeing you two for a long long while (At least according to my note that can change at any minute *wink-wink-nudge-nudge*... Jk, you ain't gonna be seeing Aobooty or Pincushion for a while). Enjoy the double update~**_

_**So see you on the next update!**_


	10. Chapter 10

Sunlight filtered into my room through the window, hitting me directly in the eye and causing me to wake up from my pleasant, dreamless slumber. I cursed the fact that I didn't close it from the night before, _again _and turned over in my bed out of the path of the beam of sunlight and settled into my covers. Closing my eyes, I tried to go back to sleep but two things were prohibiting me. One was the fact that I needed to hurry up and get ready to go to town. The other fact was that it was far too quiet in my cottage now. Usually, around this time, I could hear Aoba sneaking around in the kitchen trying to cook breakfast without waking me up. He and Noiz would be quietly chatting about Thioriginell knows what while I walked in, trying to intercept Aoba's attempts to cook. At first, while I was still healing, Aoba would force me to sit down and chill with his weird voice magic (at least that's how it felt like). But as I continue to heal at a phenomenal pace, Aoba eventually let me back into my own kitchen to cook breakfast. I sighed wistfully as I thought of the two men that left my home a few days ago. Even though its been a short while, their presence is already missed.

Shaking my head, I reached over to my nightstand for my glasses. I didn't bother with my mask and bandanna since it was just me now. I crawled to the edge of the bed and sat there before stretching out my sleep riddled body. I relished in the feeling of not being covered in oozing burn blisters. By now, everything was back to normal on my body. I looked down at it and gave a quiet huff at the sight of my grey skin. In the sunlight, the black markings seemed more pronounced, covering the span of my body in harsh lines. Tracing one of them, I thought back to the day I obtained them; it was day full of surprises, if I may add. Aoba said the "tattoos" became me- they suited me in a way that it would no one else.

_Considering that Thioriginell gifts these markings to only his people, I can see where that sentiment comes from. It should only suit me._

That thought brought back memories of a time that I was at my wits end, that I was so close on giving up on what little I had. But then a tiny voice in my mind pushed me not to give into despair. My conviction grew and so did the markings that took a hold on my body. But even though this tribal markings are a sign from my god, I still can't help but to regard them with distaste- they are also a manifestation of something I couldn't stand.

I clapped my bare cheeks, the sudden pain bringing me out of my far from pleasant revery.

"I need to pack and get ready..." I mumbled to myself.

_I'm going to town after all._

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

_This shower would feel so much better if I had hot water,_ I thought to myself, very much disgruntled at the fact that my expensive as fuck generator is broken without repair.

After packing up a majority of my items, I decided to take a shower in preparation of going to Morinoya. Cleanliness is virtue, at least according to Aeron and Adara it is.

Upon arriving home after dropping the duo off, I risked checking on the generator, this time prepared for any repercussions that may occur. But after working with it for a bit, it was a rather anticlimactic discovery to find out that the machinery wasn't going to work any time soon. I tried not to ponder too hard about who could've done the damage without being electrocuted or hurt trying to pierce the metal- it was rather obvious, despite me attempting to deny it. Images of white and metallic flashed through my mind unbiddenly causing me to pause in scrubbing myself.

"_We love you," they would whisper with each declaration of their so-called "love", "We're making you better."_

_I would scream and squirm, cursing them in my native tongue at the pain they were causing me, both physical and emotionally. My broken sobs and their sadistic, gleeful laughter filled the air in a terrible discord. Blood was everywhere and not all of it was __**mine**__-_

I gasped as I suddenly came to. I noted that I was currently crouched on the ground with my head buried between my knees underneath the cold spray of water. With a shuddering gasp, I slowly stood up on shaky legs and inwardly groaned as I realized that I was in the midst of having a panic attack. I stood underneath the cold water in an attempt to calm down.

_Today is starting off just __**great**_. I thought sarcastically.

But still, compared to the shit I've been through, this panic attack was practically nothing.__

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

Once I was calmed down enough, I dried myself off and put on a simple attire of a yellow hoodie that had "OPPAI" inscribed on it (it was a gag gift that I received from Athan a year ago) with black jeans and combat boots. After getting dressed, I grabbed a few more items off of my desk- files of the people Manzo assigned me, my earpiece, and my coil. I rarely have the thing on since all the contacts I have are people that are very busy, so I was surprised to see the notification for several missed calls from Aeron and Athan. I hummed thoughtfully at this.

_Athan said that the Aeron was on an assignment, _I thought as I began to ring up the latter, _He rarely calls people while on missions..._

When the call went to voicemail, I became a tad worried. I left a message saying that I was going to spend a couple of days in Morinoya before ringing up Athan. I was met with the same results and left the same message for him as well. I pursed my lips as I reached inside the chest beside my desk to remove some more clothing; something tells me that I'm going to be gone longer than originally planned. After seeing that all the clothing and basic necessities were packed, I began to walk to the shack behind my house, intent on taking a few more items with me.

I opened the creaky door and sighed in happiness at the familiar sight that greeted me upon my entry. On the walls were an assortment of items: bow and arrows, shot guns, semi-automatics, fully automatics... But those fire-arms wasn't what I was looking for. On the wall right across the entrance laying innocently on a small inn table were my _babies_. At glance, they seemed like a regular pair of semi-automatic pistols and if I were to be truly honest with myself, they were. One of the pistols was silver with oak brown grip panels. The other pistol had a silver slide with its bottom half being black. They both were empty of any bullets, this being shown in how their slides were drawn back exposing the barrel.

Walking up to the table, I picked up the guns and admired them for a moment with a happy smile. The reason they were so special was because of the person who gave them to me. My eyes became lidded at the memory of the Asian-American presenting me these two guns three years ago. He gifted them to me right after we finished moving my stuff into the cottage. At first, I was hesitant in taking them; Manzo had helped me so much for the past six years and yet I couldn't give him not one thing. He chuckled at my sentiment.

"You can give me the peace of mind knowing that you're going to be safe in these woods," the black haired male said as he pressed the guns into my hands, "by taking these."

I pouted as I gripped the guns carefully. I looked at them in the afternoon light that filtered in through the large window that took up most of the living room's front wall. I gave a sigh and looked up with a faux glare at the man before me.

"I'm perfectly capable of defending myself, thank you very much!" I sneered snootily, "I have the power of a million gods in my favor!"

My words packed no heat as I tossed my head back with a harrumph. Manzo gave an exasperated chuckle at my actions and shook his head. My cheeks felt overly warm as I watched him grin toothily- the scar spanning from below his ear to his chin was more pronounced whenever he smiled but I couldn't really care less. He may seem average to some, but to me he was-

"Anyway," Manzo continued, breaking me away from my revery, "Just be sure to be safe okay? Follow Aeron and Adara's advice regarding your finances and health."

His expression then turned stony, "However, dismiss what ever rubbish Athan tells you."

I gave a chuckle at Manzo's statement regarding the bloke. I will admit that Athan and I have gotten into some pretty sticky situations because of me following Aussie male. Each time we got into trouble the Asian-American always pointed the blame towards the brown haired male, never getting mad at me for the trouble that was caused.

"Come on!" I said, defending the Australian, "He can say and do some pretty inspiring stuff sometime!"

"_Sometimes,_" the dark haired male replied with disdain laced in his voice, "The other half of the time, he's chasing the closest piece of ass and sprouting nonsense about "sharing the love"."

I gave a weak laugh. What he was saying wasn't a lie.

I shook my head, disengaging myself from the memory.

_I really need to get a handle on the random bouts of daydreaming,_ I thought as I begin load the guns with the bullets I left out the night before. _Don't want that to happen while something important is happening._

Once the pair of semi-autos were loaded and the safety was turned off- I don't want it to accidently go off in my pack- I went back inside to grab my stuff. Then I was off to Morinoya.

At the edge of the clearing however, I paused to look back at my cottage. I furrowed my eyebrows as I felt my eyes tingle as a slightly ominous air came about. After contemplating for a moment, I went back to take a few more things with me even after doing such earlier. I'm starting to believe that I won't be coming back here for a long long while.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

_**{AN: Happy belated New Years everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday weekend! Unfortunately for me, however, my break off from school is quickly coming to a close-! TT~TT So with that, my update schedule is going to be slow. But alas! DVT shall continue on as we enter the next stage of the story~ *wink wonk***_

_**So see you on the next update~**_


	11. Chapter 11

I couldn't help but to notice how alight the woods were with energy as I walked amongst it. The air was filled with the sound of woodland creatures chattering about as they scurried or flew about through the trees. The sunlight that filtered through the tree limbs felt refreshing on my face, making me want to take my mask off to enjoy it more and the gentle breeze passing through the trees was pleasant and cool. The atmosphere around me was completely relaxing.

I shook my head, disengaging myself from the clouds I flew into, and resumed listing all the things that I needed from Morinoya.

"Gonna need some more toiletries," I murmured, tapping the said items into my coil, "Food, obviously... Maybe I could pick up another book or two while I'm at it."

I thought back to the several unread books I already had back at home. I shook my head with a sigh.

"More books," I tapped in, ignoring my common sense for the sake of books.

_Speaking of books,_ I thought, _I wonder how Mr. James is doing?_

Mr. James was my caretaker for the year that I stayed in Morinoya. At that time, he was the only person that I trusted since Manzo specifically said I could trust him. So with that being said, I followed Mr. James around like a lost puppy for the longest until the middle aged man got sick of it.

With the exclamation of, "_Face your fears_," the salt and pepper haired man dumped me in the middle of town and left me there.

At first, I nearly shitted myself, thinking that everyone was going to turn me in since I didn't wear anything to disguise myself at that time, so I went into the alley ways trying to hide and found myself in a portion of Morinoya that I've never been in before. I was wondering around the place, contemplating whether or not if I should crawl into the nearest manhole cover and die for the stupidity of my actions when I was approached by one of the locals that lived there. The young woman had asked me if I was okay; apparently, I've been walking around the neighborhood in circles with the saddest expression on my face. From there, I promptly broke down in tear and told her about my situation. The lady, Mrs. Yomo, was fuming at the end of my explanation and took me to her home so she could call up Mr. James.

I chuckled as I thought about how awkward I was feeling, being surrounded by Mrs. Yomo's little children and husband while the said woman was fussing on the phone with Mr. James. Mr. Yomo was giving me a heated stare while all three of the little kids yanked on my long hair.

"Pweety, pweety~," the little kids crooned with each tug on my hair.

I stared pleadingly at Mr. Yomo for help with his kid, but he was content to watch me become a play thing for his children.

"O-ow~," I groaned on a particularly hard pull.

This somehow made Mr. Yomo snap out of whatever trance he put himself into. The brunet stood up hurriedly and gave me an apology as he pulled his little triplets away from my hair.

"I was just so entranced by your coloring," he explained as he bounced the children on his lap, "I've never seen a deviant with eyes like yours. They're like the epitome of green!"

I gave a embarrassed chuckle as the young man continue to gush over how pretty my eyes were. That's when Mrs. Yomo came in with a triumphant grin. She told me that Mr. James was on his way and that he won't be pulling a stunt like he did anymore.

"But he meant well," I defended, looking down into my lap, "I guess you can say that I have a phobia of people in general."

That very statement began the start of my recovery.

Mr. James as well as the Yomo family began to take me outside as often as possible to get me accustomed to being around people in general. In the beginning, I blanched at the thought of going around a lot of people on a daily basis, thinking that someone will turn me in or something. But as time went on, I soon realized that my fears were unfounded; the townsfolk of Morinoya were quite nice and welcoming to me. It was obvious that they weren't used to seeing a _deviant_ like myself around, but it didn't stop them from being kind to me. Eventually, I found myself looking forward to going out and about town and socializing with all sorts of people. I was still paranoid, yes, but not as much as I was I first.

But despite a majority of the locals of Morinoya taking a shine to me, there were others that couldn't stand me period. At first, they seemed nice; they would chat with me and invite me to go places with them. But soon, they would make jokes at my expense and alienate/ me from doing certain things because I'm a _deviant._

When Mr. James caught wind of this, he immediately sat me down and asked why did I continue to socialize with them.

"They're just joking around, aren't they?" I had responded, "Right?"

At the serious expression Mr. James was giving me, it was apparent that they weren't. I soon learned that I couldn't please everyone, even if I tried my hardest. I dissociated myself from the toxic people that were racist towards me and strived to make better friends that weren't mean hearted towards me.

A year passed before I decided to leave. Mr. James was distraught to hear about my decision when I told him.

"At least give me an explanation as to _why_ you're leaving, Kain," the middle aged man had said while I was packing my stuff in my room.

I faltered momentarily in my actions before answering.

"I can only bring about unwanted change due to my selfish desires," I said lowly, looking at the black markings that crisscrossed over the back of my hand.

_I'd rather not play into Toue's game_.

"I didn't hear you, what?" Mr. James said as he entered the room.

He squatted down beside me on my place on the ground and grasped my shoulder with a sympathetic expression.

"Is it them again?" he asked, "Look, if it is, we can help-"

"No," I interrupted, continuing to place my clothing into a suitcase, "It's more personal than anything else."

Mr. James was quiet for a moment, probably waiting for me to tell him, but I didn't say anything more, wanting to leave my explanation at that. He gave a heavy sigh and stood up. I paused to look up at him with an inward frown.

_I should've worded that better that better_, I thought to myself, _Especially considering his past with people leaving..._

"Just to let you know, me leaving has nothing to do with anyone here," I then raised my eyebrow, "So don't go shouldering all the blame on yourself."

The middle aged man flinched. _Bingo_

The salt and pepper haired man gave a sheepish chuckle as he scratched the back of his head.

"You know me too well," he said as he picked up my clothing off of the bed.

At my questioning stare and raised his eyebrow at me.

"You think I'll let you pack up all by yourself?" Mr. James said as he began to fold them, "Please. You'll take forever."

If anything, Mr. James did everything in his power to hamper me leaving, so it took forever regardless. Not that I minded all that much; I'm going to miss him and everyone else when I leave. And I did.

I still came to Morinoya to buy stuff for my cottage, but I tried not to linger despite wanting nothing more than to stay. So I usually brought my items in the bulk to save trips to the town; my presence wouldn't do anyone any good there, even if they thought other wise.

I patted my cheeks roughly to concentrate. I need to get it together so I don't forget to buy something important and have to travel all the way back.

"Okay! I'll safe the meat and frozen foodstuff for when I go back home," I concluded as I tapped the items onto the list.

I then frowned as an important detail became obvious to me.

_How in the hell am I going to refrigerate anything without a generator?_

I pouted as I backspaced on any fresh foods that I put on the list. Guess I'll have to eat out for the duration of my stay to make up for it. I paused and gave a perverted giggle at what I thought.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

Soon, I made it to the Home of the Woods in record time. I enter through the eastern part of the town through an entrance I dubbed the East Side. Coming in through the east is the safest side of town; I can enter through without being seen by a shit ton of people since it opens up to an alleyway. There's other ways to get into town, like the "Official Entrance" which is south of Morinoya that has a sign that says "Welcome to Morinoya" with little pines decorating it. However, in order to get to it from my cottage, you'll have go through the part of the woods that has all the bobcats and shit. Hell no.

I walked through the alleyway and stopped when I got to the end of it. I stretched by back in a flourish and gave a big, dramatic sigh.

"It's nice to be back," I said happily as I relaxed and looked around the block.

I was currently in the residential area of town. Since it was midday and a majority of the people was at work or school, it wasn't choke full of people. It was good for me since no one, from the looks of it, saw me come in.

"Enough stalling, lets get to shopping!" I cheered as I broke into a jog wanting to get all of the necessary stuff done so I can do everything else at my leisure.

I was mentally ticking off the things that I would need to get first, after getting a motel room first and foremost, when I heard someone call out my name. I looked towards the direction of the voice and gave a grin towards its owner, waving and greeting them back. Then, my name was called again by someone different. Soon, I was handing out greetings left and right to many of the townspeople that seemed to appear out of no where. The amount of people appearing on a work day was something else entirely, but I couldn't complain; being around people after being in solitude for so long was refreshing. Times like this makes me wish that my entire situation different, that I could be around people without any repercussions biting me in the ass.

My chest suddenly felt tight with an intense sense of longing- longing for something that will never come to be. My face twisted underneath my mask with self loathing. With such feelings swelling inside me so suddenly, I had to excuse myself from the people around me and get to myself for a moment.

_By Thioriginell... Why me? _I thought vainly as I quickly walked away, my emotions getting the better of me. A beat later I scoffed inwardly. It was a question that I already knew I'd never get the answer to. I should know this but even after fourteen years, I never stop asking.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

After taking a nice, silent walk through the back roads and alleyways, I deemed myself stable enough to walk amongst the townspeople without relapsing into an emotion mess of a _deviant_ and booked myself a room at a local motel.

_I really need to get it together if I break down so quickly from a small group of people saying "Hi", _I scowled myself.

I then took back to the streets, giving out greetings and an occasional hug or two as I walked about aimlessly around town.

_I felt so pumped up to shop, but now I don't really feel like it,_ I thought as I browsed through a window of a shop advertising AllMates of various types.

My eyes lingered on one particular AllMate that posed on top of a display stand. The AllMate was modeled after a Japanese Spitz and had dark blue fur that matched his eye color. The robotic dog gazed emptily in my general direction with his tongue hanging out making me smile despite myself. It was a rather adorable AllMate. At that moment, my eyes began to warm up.

I stood there staring at the Spitz for a moment with a vacant expression before I blinked and chuckled. I crouched over and touched the glass before the AllMate with an intrigued smile.

"You would've played an important role in another life, no?"

With those words, I stood over and walked away from the shop with a strange feeling in my chest and an odd smile on my face hidden by my mask.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

A small bell above the door signaled my intrusion of the small book store.

After spending a good while of time wondering around and spending money on random nick-nacks, I decided to come and visit a bookstore that I use to frequently visit back when I lived here. Upon entering the shop however...

"Excuse me sir, I'm going to have to stop you," a voice spoke up.

"Hmm?" I perked up and gazed lazily at the speaker.

It was a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair casually sitting at the cash register reading a newspaper.

_Who reads newspapers nowadays, by Thioriginell... _I thought randomly. _That fad ended a century ago. Use your coil, old man._

"I like to consider myself old school thank you very much, ya brat," the cashier answered with a strained smile on his face as he placed said newspaper down.

I inwardly cursed my lack of a thought-to-mouth filter. _I really need to work on that..._

"And besides," the cashier went onto say, "I prefer to do things the manual way anyway. I'd rather not become dependent on a piece of metal like a majority of these spineless wimps out here anyway."

The middle aged man gave a pointed look towards the coil on my wrist at the end of his sentence making me narrow my eyes in slight irritation.

"Now back to the point," the man continued on, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave on the account of you breaking several policies regarding your attire."

I raised an eyebrow and gestured towards myself with a flourish.

"Just so you know, I dress normally like another person," I defended.

You just gotta ignore the mask and bandanna and the fact that I look like shady as fuck with them on.

The cashier raised his eyebrow back at me as to say, "Really? Who are you fooling?"

So we stood there staring each other down, both of us refusing to bulge in our opinion. Five hours have passed. Shops have been bombed and lives have been lost. Children are screaming in the background but I refuse to-!

Sudden laughter filled the air as the cashier began to walk towards me. The older man gave me rough hug filled with affection and I returned it all the same. After a while we separated and gave each other wide grins, still chuckling at one another.

"It's nice to see you again Mr. James," I finally said, gripping the older man's shoulders tightly.

The said man reciprocated my actions and nodded, his blue eyes crinkling with mirth.

"Same for you, son," he replied, "Same for you."

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

Mr. James and I sat down together in the back of the bookshop to catch up on the things that I missed since I last visited. (It was mostly one-sided since I didn't have much to chat about other than my visitors from a couple of weeks ago.) I teased Mr. James about sitting out on the job to gossip about mundane things. He snorted at me.

"It's not as if I'm going to get fired or anything," he said smugly, "That's one of the perks of being your own boss. Now shut up so I can tell you about what happened with the Yuno's!"

And what juicy gossip it was. It was a scandalous story filled with secret lovers, cheating, and both Mr. and Mrs. Yuno being gay.

"So they broke things off, but they remained as friends," Mr. James finished off, leaning away from me whist crossing his arms and nodding.

"Bruh," I said dumbfounded, "That had so many plot twists that I just can't even."

Mr. James gave me a look that said that he could relate.

"Come on with me to the front," the older male said as he stood up from the box he was sitting on, "I've kept the people waiting long enough."

But when we arrived, there was no one there. I chuckled while patting the dejected Mr. James.

"There's always next time!" I cheered before I began to walk through the book isles.

Mr. James' bad mood cleared away almost as quickly as it came, this being proven with his retort: "Maybe they saw you come through and thought you where a robber and was scared away. You look shady as one."

I snorted as I waved him off.

"It's only a mask and bandanna, that's all," I said as I picked up a book from a shelf. After a small bit a consideration, I took it with me as I ventured down to browse at books similar to it.

"I still want to know why you suddenly picked up the habit of wearing such head attire," Mr. James called out from his perch at the cash register.

I paused in picking up another book, deliberating as to how to answer his question. I picked up the book and walked to the man silently with a serious air about me, making the humorous mood in the air dissipate.

"If you must know," I murmured as I took my glasses off and leaned close to look the man in the eye from across the counter, "I..."

I trailed off and waited for a moment, leaving the man in suspense.

"You what?" he whispered after a while.

I looked down with furrowed brows and looked back up at Mr. James who seemed to be holding his breath.

I whispered, "I have wicked razor burns on my face."

Mr. James' face went slack with disbelief.

"You should've taught me how to fucking shave my face properly, you old fart," I continued, my voice cracking in my effort of keeping myself from laughing.

I found myself being slapped repeatedly in the face with a rolled up newspaper. My laughter, soon joined by Mr. James', filled the air.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

After a bit of goofing off together, Mr. James and I chatted some more before I purchased my books and headed off to my motel room. I examined my purchases in the waning afternoon light with muted excitement; they were books regarding _deviants_ and the ODW. Most likely they'll just repeat the information that I already know back to me, but you never know. Knowledge is power! At least, according to Aeron it is.

"Gramps you're so slow~!"

"Yeah, yeah! Hurry up!"

I put my books back into my bag and looked towards the direction of the voices I heard. They sounded close by, but they were actually across the street. I saw an elderly grandfather with his grandchildren from the looks of it.

"Oh, hush you two," the old man said gruffly, "I ain't young like I used to be, so I can't go as fast." His cold voice was outweighed by the gentle look of affection in his eyes.

The children giggles from their places beside him, both of them, a girl and a boy, gripping one of his hands.

The girl beside him opened her mouth to say something in reply, but by then I tuned their words out. I pursed my lips at the sight of love that was flowing through the trio. I know without a doubt that I'm a loved person throughout the town but that kind of love was nothing compared to one of family members.

I was struck with a sudden urge to go back to Mr. James and talk with him a little more. I wanted to call up Adara or Aeron or _someone_ to talk about everything and nothing. I wanted to go back home.

My eyes heated up and suddenly I had a brief flashback to my childhood before it was filled with death and grief. I shook my head. That _home_ was long gone, and there was no way I could go back, even if I went back there.

I cast my eyes downwards with a heavy sigh.

I may live in the cottage in the woods but that empty place devoid of life is far from home. Home was where my grandfather was. My home was back at Midorijima. But despite this sentiment, the mere thought of Midorijima made a sinking feeling appear in my chest. But my want to see Gramps overcame that feeling.

I shook my head and continued walking, muttering to myself, "I hope Gramps is okay."

My eyes warmed in response making me fear the worst.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

When I finally returned to my motel room, I felt exhausted mentally; all I wanted was to curl up on the bed and sleep the rest of the day and night away. But with me being me, I found myself propped up reading one of my books that I purchased at Mr. James' bookstore. The title of the book was called "The Intricacies Of _Deviants_" and so far my predictions were correct- it was just restating what I already knew.

The book began on a common fact that mostly everyone knows: all _deviants_ were born from still born fetus...

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

_**{AN: Happy belated Valentine's Day / President's Day! Just to let you know, typing up this chapter hurt me- At first, everything was going great, but then once I got to the middle-ish part of it, my inspiration died on me. I tried to type past that part, but nothing satisfied me. But the dear Goddess of Inspiration visited me and blessed me in her holy power! ...Sorry it's two o'clock and I've been working on this chapter for the past couple of chapters! But oh well! I'm glad that I got this chapter out. May the next chapter not be met with the same results~**_

_**So, until then, see you on the next update!**_


	12. Chapter 12

_One of many odd, but common, facts about these mutated humans is the fact that all _deviants_ are born from still born fetuses. The peculiar thing about it, however, is that the dead fetus continues to grow inside the mother as if it's still alive. Their brain activity is that of a normal developing fetus, but all bodily functions operate at an extremely slow pace despite that. The reason for this odd bodily behavior is proven by a chromosomal mutation-_

"Blah, blah, blah," I murmured as I skimmed over the scientific reason as to why and how a _deviant_ is created.

It's just repeating a widely known fact about how _deviants_ have more than three times the normal amount of chromosomes- a case of nondisjunction gone extremely array. Most cases of chromosomal mutations results in Down syndrome or Triple-X syndrome or another syndrome of the like, but mutations like the ones _deviants_ experience are on an entirely different spectrum.

I settled on another spot in the book and continued to read.

_-By all terms and definitions, _deviants _are technically still born, but recent studies show that deviantic fetuses do in fact have a heart beat- they just have an extremely slow BPM rate. Due to their irregularities in their heart-rate, their body is poorly oxygenated and their skin takes on a permanent grey hue._

I glanced at the grey skin of my scarred and inked up arm. _Yerp._

I skimmed through a couple of more pages before stopping at a section that said "Childbirth".

Deviant _childbirth occurs in third trimester like any other pregnancy. The _deviant _child is born into the world but as silent as it could be. But after a few moments, the newborn baby "revives"- the bodily functions suddenly kick-start into gear and everything is functioning correctly as if it always was. Despite the grey skin of the newborn _deviant_ everything seemed to be normal about the child. But going through such mutations does not go without any consequences._

Deviants_, being nothing more than humans with massive mutations, are bound to have some kind of health problems. This includes a chemical imbalance within the brain, located mainly in the Limbic System, thus making _deviants_extremely emotional and prone to their temper.__ This chemical imbalance can be managed by medication taken on a daily basis-_

I gave a light huff and skimmed through the rest of the book. Science, science, and more science. Guess a refund is in order. Hopefully this book will be beneficial to _someone_. I picked up the other book and examined the cover. It was titled, "The Social Science of _Deviants_". Upon examining the book, something near the bottom of the book's spine caught my attention; it was the Organization of Deviantic Welfare's emblem. I scowled as I began to flip through the book.

"Just great," I murmured to myself. A book with the ODW's emblem on it meant that, at one point, Aeron has most likely taught me something from it.

Regardless, I began to read a passage from the book. It was titled "Origins".

_The Organization of Deviantic Welfare first began as a small equal rights group for _deviants, it read_. The small number of people stemmed from the fact that _deviants _were widely feared for their abnormal birthing process at that point in time. Many _deviants_ were hailed as the "demons" or as "witches' children" in the earlier ages. As time progress, these racial slurs became baseless, but no less offensive in usage. To keep up with the progressing times, the slurs-_

I flipped a few more pages in with a wrinkled brow. Even though the book is just stating the facts, the fact that it was hitting the nail on the head made me a tad uncomfortable.

_Eventually, the ODW's influence became more and more pronounced. More people gathered to its cause and, soon, the ODW became a certified organization. The newly made organization's main objective was to not only enforce equal rights for all _deviants _but also monitor _deviant_ hate crimes and cases of prejudice. The organization even has the authority to make arrests, taking in assailants of_ deviants_ only. This has led to the ODW being dubbed as the "_deviant _police" (Ironic, seeing in how they almost never arrest _deviants._)_

_Despite being a rather peaceful equal rights group, they have military like ranking system-_

I yawned before proceeding to shut the book after scanning it through. The rest of it was just listing of some unnecessary details like how the ranking system was similar to that of the U.S. Army's, how the average day at the ODW was like, and a short bio about the previous Sergeant Major of the ODW (the "presidents", so to speak).

_Funny how it didn't mention that the ODW hires people to do their dirty work as well, _I thought as I put the book onto the nightstand beside my bed.

I was an example of this. Sometimes the assailants of deviant hate crimes run away knowing the fact that they're going to be arrested, so whenever the ODW can't find them they hire bounty hunters instead of putting out wanted notices. It's a strange thing that they do, but as for the past three and a half years, I've been hunting down these felons as a source of income. I wouldn't call it a steady job, though- there has been times where I would go months at a time without any bounties coming up. But whenever I do catch an assailant, the payout is usually big.

I stood up from my bed and walked towards the bathroom, grabbing my toiletries as I went.

_Speaking of bounties, I gotta turn in those files along with a verbal report. Better hurry up and get rested so I won't sound like a dumbass in front of Athan..._

I paused in removing my clothing at the thought of the Australian.

_I never did say _where _I was staying in Morinoya,_ I realized.

With that thought, I marched out of the bathroom stark naked and sent a quick text to the Aussie where I was, including my room number. After doing such, I went back into the bathroom for a well deserved soak in the tub, wanting nothing more than to wash away the stress that the day has brought on.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

_**{AN: It's a filler, yes, but a very necessary one. Now you know what the fuck a **_**deviant**_** is! **_

_**P.S. I really hate the fact that I typed **_"deviant" _**like **_"_deviant"__**. I did it at first to put the term out from the rest, but, in terms of usage, **_"deviant"_** is no different that **_"human". _**It's not even a proper noun or anything of the like. But nevertheless, I shall continue!**_

_**So until then, see you in the next update.**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**{AN: Trigger warning for mentions of drug abuse near the end of the chapter! Will be marked with "**" at the beginning and end of the section! Enjoy.}**_

_!_

I was awoken from my dreamless slumber with a start. I looked around room I was in blearily and found myself in a slight panic when I didn't immediately recognize the setting.

_Where the fuck am I? _I thought before my memory of yesterday came back to me, making me relax and sigh in slight relief.

I scrubbed at my eyes before reaching over to the nightstand for my glasses when loud knocking reverberated within my motel room. I scowled and put my glasses on.

_I don't remember asking for a wake up call, _I thought grumpily as I kicked the covers off of me and sat up.

I reached for my mask as I started towards the door but ended up pawing at the bare surface of the nightstand. A glance told me that my mask wasn't where I thought I had left it. I looked around the room for it and came up empty, earning a frustrated groan from me. I quickly walked towards the bathroom and flipped the light switch on.

_Bingo! _My mask was on the edge of the sink. I saw that it was waterlogged when I picked it up, but I put it on regardless when the knocking at my door grew even louder.

"I'm coming, so stop fucking knocking!" I called out irritably, stalking towards the door.

I peeked out the peephole and drew back with a startle yelp when I saw an eye looking back at me. Familiar laughter resounded outside as I knelt over, clutching my chest at the unexpected sight of Athan's eye.

Once I'd calmed down enough, I opened the door with an exclamation of, "_Asshole!"_

The man waiting outside my door dodged the swipe at his face with a wide, toothy grin on his face.

"Aren't cha a bit arggo* this fine mornin', mate?" Athan Smith, Command Sergeant Major of the ODW, asked with an "innocent" smile as if he wasn't just banging my door down a minute ago.

The black haired man even had the audacity to rock on the balls of his feet as if he didn't do anything wrong.

I snorted as I settled against the doorway with my arms crossed. I took this time to briefly take in the sight of the Australian. Athan was tall (rivaling my height of 6'2") with tanned skin fitted over a lean body. He had black hair that he kept slicked back whenever he was on an assignment. In order to keep it that way, he would comb through every now and then. (On occasion, I would call him a wannabe greaser, which would earn me a swipe across the head from a flustered Aussie.) On his free time, his hair would be wild and untamed held back back by a headband. Right now, he was wearing the typical uniform of a ODW member- grey dress pants with a matching vest over a white button up shirt. (He was missing the beret that came with it though, typical of Athan.) On the collar of his shirt was the Organization's emblem, an intricate array of swirls that formed a diamond like symbol.

"You disturbed my peaceful resting, you bloke," I finally retorted as my eyes narrowed, "Me being aggressive is a normal reaction."

This time, the Aussie snorted, placing a hand on his hip.

"If you woke up on time, you wouldn't have had me banging on the door like a bloody ocker," he replied, shoving his way pass me, "Do you know how long I was standing out there?"

_Woke up on time? You never called nor text me any time to be up and ready!_

I shut the door with a little more force than what was necessary- you can tell that I value my sleep- and walked towards my bed where my pack was located.

"Piss off," I mumbled, glancing towards the analog clock on the nightstand, "It's only eight o'clock in the fucking morning."

_Seriously, being up this early in a sin_, I thought as I rummaged through my pack, pulling out various articles of clothing.

"No, you mate," Athan said as he sat on the bed, bouncing on it momentarily, "If I didn't swing by while I was on my way to brekkie, you would've slept till the avro."

"Pfft. I usually wake up at ten," I lied smoothly, ignoring the cheeky grin Athan was giving me as I walked towards the bathroom.

With a call of, "Gimme fifteen!", I shut the bathroom door and began to prepare for the day ahead.

A knot settled in my stomach when my eyes lit up with a flash of heat.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

Once I was properly cleaned and dressed, Athan and I set out to get a bite to eat. The trip also doubled as a meeting to talk about the bounties that they assigned me. On the way to a local food joint, the Aussie threw his arm around my shoulders in a side hug.

"So how ya going, mate?" the bloke asked, squeezing my shoulders with a grin, "Had any adventures as of late in the bush?"

I leaned into his embrace briefly before answering.

"Actually, I had a run in with some hikers several weeks ago," I gave a recount of what happened with Aoba and Noiz.

"...-And so I dropped the two off at the road leading up to the South entrance," I finished as we entered a fast food establishment.

"If this Aoba guy is as cute as you're describing him, please tell me that you got his number," was the bloke's reaction as we settled ourselves at a secluded booth in the back.

I arched an eyebrow at the Australian, "Really? The only thing you're concerned about is whether or not I got his number?"

He made an expression as to say, "Pretty much."

"Well did you?" the black haired man pressed, leaning in with a grin.

I smirked despite myself, pulling at my shirt collar, "Hell yeah."

I failed to mention the fact that I haven't talked to the blue haired man since he left Morinoya.

Unaware of my lie, Athan's grin grew larger; he reached across the table and slapped my shoulder good-naturally.

"Yeew boy~," he crooned in a thick Australian accent.

Soon, a waitress walked up to our table to take our orders. Her polite smile turned a bit mischievous once her eyes landed on Athan and her saunter took on a more sultry undertone as she slide up to his side of the table. Not that I can blame her. The man had a rugged handsomeness to him that charmed a majority of everyone. Well that is until...

"Let's see..." Athan looked at the laminated menus taped onto the table for a moment, "I'd like a flat white along with a snag and some eggs."

...they get an earful of _that..._

_This dumbass didn't even speak in the native dialect-_

At the waitress's lost look, I quickly gave a translation of what he said.

"He'd like a coffee with creme along with a sausage and egg, please," I said with a force polite smile, annoyed with Athan's slang. The said man across from me gave a quiet, "Oops," when he realized his mistake.

Just to rub it in, I made my order in perfect Japanese, much to the relief of the waitress. After jotting down my order of a pancake platter with some orange juice, the waitress quickly walked away without a second glance towards Athan. I guess she's only interested in men that can speak Japanese. Seeing this, the man in question gave a dejected sigh but then perked up as quickly as he watched the waitress's backside.

"I hate to see you go but I'll love to watch you leave~," he crooned with a perverted giggle, earning a slap upside the head from me.

"Stop it, you little shit," I said as I rolled up the sleeves of my long black tee shirt, "We got business to handle."

Athan's grin melted off his face as he quickly grew serious, "True."

One thing that I admire about him was the fact that he knows when to be serious. He eyed me as I slid the manila envelope that I brought with me across to him. Before I launched into my verbal report of the bounties, Athan piped up.

"You seem to be hot, mate," he observed, making me pause in the unconscious movement of flapping my shirt collar.

I frowned underneath my mask, already knowing where this conversation was heading. I opted for sarcasm to put off the enviable.

"No shit, Sherlock. It's totally not over eighty degrees in here..." my words trailed off and I had to look away from Athan's sharp and knowing gaze.

I cleared my throat and began my verbal report of the bounties. Athan seemed to be a miffed that I didn't give him a chance to speak, which was the point of my interrupting, but at the moment, I didn't really care. Even though I didn't really give any thought as to what to say for the report, the words came easily to me as I recounted what happened on each bounty hunt. They mostly went the same: they came into town seeking refuge and I would come in and put them under citizen's arrest when they least expected. The element of surprise is always on my side, for it seems that they never anticipate a _deviant_ showing up to hunt them down.

_A _deviant _showing up to arrest a person for a _deviant _hate crime? Such heresy!_

Athan's annoyed expression was swapped out and replaced with one of impress.

"I must say, mate, you're really doing a ripping for hunting down ockers," Athan began as he absentmindedly opened up the envelope to glance through the written reports I did the night before after I had bathed.

"You joining the Organization would be a great contribution." My eyes closed at that statement.

"Look, we've had this conversation so many times that it's not even fucking funny anymore, Athan," I said lowly, but intensely, scowling all the while.

The black haired man narrowed his eyes at me, his handsome face becoming twisted with vexation.

"If it's "not even fucking funny anymore" then you should put yourself out of your misery and say yes already," was the man's acerbic reply that he all but hissed, "Look, Kain-"

The Australian cut himself off when the waitress arrived with our food, apologizing for the wait. Our ill atmosphere immediately lightened as we accepted our food.

"Can I get the docket please?" Athan asked with a borderline perverted grin.

The waitress didn't understand what a "docket" was, but she was picking up on the undertones of what he was saying, this being proved by how she licked her lips at the Australian with a seductive look. All this was making me sick. I definitely hang around Aeron too much- his prune like ways are rubbing off on me.

"Ahem!" I cleared my throat, effectively drawing their attention, "My friend here was asking for the receipt."

My eyes crinkled into a wide grin, pointedly ignoring the irritated looks thrown my way.

The waitress gave us our bill with a smile and gave Athan a wink as she told us, "Enjoy your food."

A glance towards the bill told me that she gave the Aussie her number.

_Seriously?_

The man across from me tried to continue our conversation, but I held out a hand and pointed towards the food. I wasn't willing to speak until we had something in our stomach.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

Unfortunately for me, Athan didn't share my sentiment; he kept on fussing at me all throughout breakfast, effectively putting me into an irritable mood. At the end of our meal, my mask was hanging around my neck and Athan's carefully slicked back hair was in a disarray with all the times he'd ran his hands through it.

"Okay, okay mate," the Australian said around a bite of his sausage before swallowing, "I can see that I can't convince you to join the Organization, but can you at least tell me _why_?"

I took the last sip of my orange juice and dabbed at my mouth with the edge of my mask before replying. "I already told you."

Athan gave a sigh of long suffering at my pettiness.

"Can you give me a reply that isn't a cryptic riddle?" He questioned, pushing his empty plate aside.

I closed my eyes with a pinched expression and rubbed at the week old beard growing on my chin. I dully noted that I still haven't gotten around to shaving before shaking my head.

_It's not that easy to explain..._

"Try me, mate," the Aussie piped up, giving me a slight surprise, "You might be surprised."

I inwardly cursed my loose mouth as I gazed at Athan with pursed lips. His expression lost its irritated edge, replaced with that of determination. This guy was committed to getting my answer today from the look of it. My eyes wandered away from him to look out the window instead, taking my time to think of something appropriate. So many things that I really wanted to say threatened to spill from my lips, but I couldn't tell him the true details, so I settled.

"I don't want to change anything that isn't meant to be changed," I said simply, dragging my sight back on him.

He was quiet for a few moments, probably wanting me to elaborate, but I held firm. Something in Athan's expression changed causing my gaze to slide down to my hands; my jaw clenched as I battled the feelings of guilt and self loathing.

"Don't you trust me, Kain?" Athan asked quietly, hurt evident clearly in his voice.

"Athan, my trust in you has nothing to do with this," I found myself saying, "If things were different, I'll be telling you everything."

"What _is _everything_,_ Kain?"

My eyes throbbed once, then twice. I adjusted my glasses, blinking hard behind them. I opened my mouth before closing it firmly, cutting off whatever bullshit that was about to spew from my lips. I can at least tell him a little bit.

"Everything being why Toue kidnapped me all those years ago."

This was the money question that everyone wanted to cash in on. No one knew except for the man himself and me. Since Toue was inaccessible, everyone turned to me for answers; unfortunately for them, I wasn't too keen on making them privy to such information. Of course, this caused a small uprising, lead by the people interested in the case of Midorijima. Nevertheless, my lips was sealed- at that time, I was afraid that if I spoke up, everyone's attitude towards me would change drastically. And the fact that I still haven't joined the ODW, even at the insistence of Athan and several others, shows that I still am.

"Everyone thinks I'm being selfish, but if that's how it looks, then so be it," I followed up, "I just can't afford to change everything now. I'm practically playing into Toue's hands."

Athan's look of betrayal dropped at the mention of Toue- he began to glower at the window.

"It's always _**him**_, ain't it?" he all but growled, "That damned wanker..."

His lips pursed before looking back at me. The Aussie's eye took on a helpless glaze.

"Why won't you come with us?" Athan asked "You'd be safe from him, I swear."

I shook my head. "I gave you my answer, Athan, and I'd appreciated if you didn't push me any further."

Athan opened his mouth to say something else but paused when I held up a palm while pulling up my mask with the other hand. He must've finally sensed that continuing this discussion would prove fruitless because he didn't say anything else for the duration of our stay at the diner.

_I may be safe from Toue's influence with you guys, but who's going to keep _you _safe from _me_?_

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

Athan and I paid for breakfast and left the restaurant without any other incidents. We began to walk back towards the south of town where my motel room was, but, instead of using the public roads, Athan guided us towards the back alleys. I gave him a questioning look when he pulled me into a cul-de-sac with a stony expression.

"What are you doing?" I asked as we walked further into the dead end.

"Hey mate, has there been anything suss happenin' in bush as of late?" the Aussie asked forthright, ignoring my question.

My eyebrows furrowed as began to say no, but then the incident with the generator suddenly came to mind.

"Actually, something happened when Aoba and Noiz first came to the cottage..." I began, outlining the peculiar occurrence to the Aussie.

When I finished, Athan's face was drawn and downcast. He gave me a look full of exasperation.

"And how come you didn't say anything about this earlier?" he questioned, a tad irritated with my tardiness.

I raised my eyebrow at him, adjusting my glasses all the while.

"I was planning to but the right opportunity never came, first of all," I retorted with a hidden frown, "I mean, how the hell am I supposed to bring that kind of shit up, hunh? 'Hey Athan, this food is ripper! Oh and while we're on the subject of ripping shit, my generator was disemboweled a couple of weeks ago by some unknown force. Anyway, pass the syrup would ya mate?'"

The face that Athan was giving me showed that he was either unimpressed by my little act or by my usage of his Aussie slang. His face relaxed as he looked away from me for a moment, gazing up at the mid-morning sky. The Australian had a look that put me in mind of a kid getting a shot- he doesn't want to do something but he knows it's necessary. When he directed that look at me, my eyes throbbed.

"What is it, Athan?" I asked, feeling a knot tighten in my gut.

He was silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts from the looks of it.

"Kain, we're going to head by your motel room to get your stuff," the black haired man said finally.

Before I could ask why, he continued.

"Aeron and I tried to get in contact with you about this earlier, but we couldn't reach you on your coil- which is why you should keep it on, even if it seems unnecessary, but I digress. Mate, there's no easy way to say this, but I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."

It took a moment to realize what he just said.

"Wait, wait. _What?_" I said, startled at the sudden turn of events.

The Aussie continued as if I haven't spoken.

"Hiding you in plain sight was a good idea, but it could only last so long," he said, his voice tense, "Kain, I'm afraid that Toue never stopped looking for you ever since you escaped six years ago. As time progressed, his efforts died down, but they never stopped."

My breath was stuck in my chest as I leaned into the wall of the cul-de-sac. My eye were almost burning by now and a shudder has found itself lodged in my bones.

_He never stopped looking. He never stopped looking. He never stopped looking. He never stopped looking. He never stopped looking._

"_**We'll never let you go Kain. We love you,"**_ a voice whispered from afar.

"_**Never, never, never," **_another joined.

"_**You'll be with us forever," **_they said in union.

My breath came out in stuttered puffs as the beginnings of a panic attack gripped me. I could faintly hear Athan calling out me.

_Come on! _I thought viciously to myself, using Athan's voice as an anchor, _Get a hold of yourself, you piece of shit!_

"Athan," I called out weakly, "Slap me, _please_."

I wasn't a masochist, but I relished in the pain that bloomed in my cheek. The world around me came back into focus with Athan gripping my shoulders tightly with a distraught expression on his face. I then realized that he was speaking, apologizes rolling off his lips in a stream.

I whispered, "It's okay, Athan, it's not your fault," to him, but it didn't seemed to be getting to the shaken up Australian. Giving a small huff, I leaned forward and pressed my masked lips against his in an attempt for him to _shut the fuck up_. It wasn't a kiss, by far; just a simple pressure of my lips pressing against his. But it worked wonders for he clammed up with a strangled noise.

_Better. _I thought as I leaned my face away from him, choosing to rest my head on his shoulder instead. I was suddenly too tired to do anything else but to hook my thumbs in the belt loops of his pants. He splayed his hands onto the small of my back and began to rub calming little circles into it. I was grateful that he kept them just on my back and nowhere else.

Unexpectedly, I remembered an excerpt from "The Intricacies of _Deviants_".

Deviants_, being nothing more than humans with massive mutations, are bound to have some kind of health problems. This includes a chemical imbalance within the brain, located mainly in the Limbic System, thus making _deviants_extremely emotional and prone to their temper.__ This chemical imbalance can be managed by medication taken on a daily basis-_

"Maybe I should get back on the medicine," I mumbled into Athan's shoulder.

I could feel him tense momentarily underneath me. His hands stopped moving, making me inwardly sigh at their absence.

"The last time you were on the medicine, it..." the Australian's voiced wandered off.

_******_Not that I could blame him for his hesitance. What the book failed to mention was the fact that medicine pretty much kills off all of your emotions. Despite that, it has a high addiction rate, but if it's taken in large doses, it could lead to death. In my case, I didn't OD. At first, that is. As time went on, however, the flashbacks and visions grew to be too much to bear... I was lucky that I was still living with Gramps. There was a chance that I would've died that day._******_

"Never mind," I murmured as I slowly pulled away from Athan.

Once I was steady on my feet, I looked at the sky. The familiar vibrancy of it soothed my frazzled nerves as I sighed, slowly releasing the stress that was building up inside me. I pulled down my mask, baring my face to the gentle breeze that flowed through the alleyway. After a couple of moments of enjoying the simplicity of the sky and wind, I looked back at Athan who was watching me carefully.

"Fuck what I said about the medicine," I said hoarsely, my voice thick of unexplained emotion.

After clearing it and pulling up my mask, I ventured on speaking; with each word, I felt more and more resolute and unswerving than I have in a long time.

"I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all."

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

_***Note on Athan's Aussie slang: I personally don't have any Australian friends, so all slang as come from my research on the internet, not from any prior knowledge. So if some of you say, "Hey, Australians don't say that" or "That's so stereotypical" then get me an Australian on the line, so I can get my motherfucking learning on some Aussie slang. **_

_**Small glossary: **_Aggro = Describes someone or something aggressive or aggression.

Arvo = Afternoon

Brekkie = Breakfast; Also spelled brekky or breaky

Bush = Foresty-area.  
Docket = Receipt or bill  
Flat white = Coffee with milk or cream.

"How ya going?" = "How are you doing?"

Mate = Friend/Buddy

Ocker = A person with poor social skills/manners

"Piss off" = Go away; get stuffed; get lost

Ripper = Great

Ripping = When something {eg surfing} is done really, really well

Snag = Sausage

Suss = Size up or study something {ahead of time}; Or if someone seems a bit suspicious, you can call them suss.

Wanker = A ridiculous person

_**I believe that was all the Aussie slang that was used in this chapter. If I missed something, use your context clues to figure out the general meaning, fam. But if you still don't get it, (**__**you might be stupid jkjk)**__** drop a review about it (Along with something nice about DVT too! That'll give me a great pick-me-up as well as motivation for the next chapter! ;O) )**_

DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT

_**{ AN: Son of a bitch, this chapter took way longer than expected. It took me a while to get a roll on writing this out, but once I started, it was hard to stop so yay for that. :O)**_

_**This chapter is full of surprises for me because it deviated from the outline so much despite my attempts to keep it on the straight and narrow. But whenever it does that, I don't try to derail it to fit my needs too much. Instead, I incorporate the necessary details and let the chapter write itself- it's a satisfying feeling really. Anyway, I'm excited for the next chapters because this, my dearest, is the end of the prelude of DVT! You might be thinking, "This is a long ass prelude, then." And if you are, well shut the fuck up, because I already knooww! I'm not a fan of writing really long chapters (which would equal to a lesser **__number __**of chapters) because as an avid reader of fanfiction myself, I find myself taking hours at a time to read really long chapters (Not that I'm complaining, though! I live for long chapters, but I don't have the attention span to sit there and read it, that's all~) Anywho, I digress. From what I'm digressing from, I do not know. I'm running on five hours of sleep people. Oh well.**_

_**See you on the next update! Until then~**_


	14. Chapter 14

Instead of continuing our trip back to my motel room like he mentioned prior, Athan insisted that we stay in the cul-de-sac; he remembered that we had to wait for someone for someone, he said. At my question of who, he told me that it was just a private, no one that I would know. He went on to explain that the private would be imperative to me leaving Morinoya inconspicuously. When I began to ask how, the private in question showed up. True to his word, the incoming person was nobody that I knew, wearing the typical ODW attire complete with the beret and all. He stopped in front of us and gave me a respectful nod and Athan a salute. I then noticed the luggage that he was carrying; I frowned when I realized that it was mine. Seeing my reaction, the Aussie piped up.

"I may or may not have swiped your key card from you when you wasn't paying attention," he admitted with a not very sorry grin, "I gave it to Johnny-boy here when we were on the way to get some brekkie."

At least "Johnny-boy" had the audacity to look a tad ashamed when I looked at him with a raised brow.

I sighed and shook my head, saying how this wasn't the point.

"I get that I have to leave as soon as possible from here, but that's it," I remarked, a tad irritated, "You haven't bothered to give me an explanation as to _how_ or anything of that like."

Athan gave me a sheepish grin before shaking his head.

"I know, I know, mate," the dark haired man said, stepping closer to grip my shoulders, "But, right now, I can't tell you anything. It's not a matter of trust or anything, it's just not the right time."

The last sentenced was hurried as if he thought I was offended, which I wasn't. I can totally understand that sentiment- it's basically my life's motto. I also couldn't help but to notice how he seemed, just for a moment, guilty. But the expression was covered up with his stereotypical grin, so the observation was dropped as quickly as it was noted.

The Australian finally did get around to explaining to me the private's purpose of being here- he was to pose as me. I pursed my lips from underneath my masked and studied the private (his form, to be more specific). Since I was actually paying attention, the private was about tall as me and had a lean frame. I could see that he was well built from the way his uniform clung to him; I was tempted to squeeze his bicep and ask him to flex... I cleared my throat when I realized that I was staring for too long. I gave the thumbs up on the private's physique.

"He's good," I said, taking a step away from the unnamed man, "You won't have to go on a wild goose hunt searching for someone close to perfection."

Athan rolled his eyes, contrary to the grin crawling on his face.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDVTDVTDVT~DVTDTVDTVDVT**_

The following events occurred rather quickly, at least to me it did.

After the little meet up in the alley way, Athan and the "private" had to leave - they have fulfilled the assignments that they needed to do and they were due back at the Organization of Deviantic Welfare soon after. "I" gave them my farewells and wished for them a safe journey. After they left, "I" gathered up my belongings and left from Morinoya. "I" didn't go the route that I normally traveled to go to my cottage; instead, "I" went further inland. It was orders from the higher ups after all to keep Toue off "my" tail. At least, that's the thesis.

As of now, we were currently wrapping up a few loose ends. My eyes were still burning with tears as I left from Mr. James' house. Due to the uncertainty of not knowing when I was coming back, our goodbyes took a while and the supposedly short visit took about an hour - the older man used his skills at stalling and convinced us to stay long enough for him to bake a cake for the journey away from Morinoya. After receiving a slice of Mr. James' homemade desert, Athan hurried us to the edge of the town since we wasted away a good bit of our time. None of it was wasted, in my opinion, because I was really going to miss the middle aged man.

At the edge of Morinoya was a bus stop and from there we were to take it to go to the ferry. Morinoya was located relatively close to the edge of Japan, and was known for being a tourist spot during the spring and summer so it wasn't a surprise when I saw that it was rather crowded at the terminal with people and _deviants_ alike milling around. (The sight of seeing some of my grey skinned brethren caused a thrill of childish excitement that I unsuccessfully tried to squash down.) Normally, being around this many people wouldn't had bothered me so much, but now things are different: I'm without my mask. Athan discouraged me wearing the mask since it wasn't normally worn with the ODW's uniform attire - it would make me stick out like a sore thumb.

"She'll be right," the Aussie had said, seeing my obvious discomfort, "You look hellava lot different since the last time we've been here."

(The sudden flare of heat in my eyes vanquished what little comfort that his words brought to me; the uncertainty of everything happening made the growing knot in my gut become more gnarled.)

Instead of voicing my worries, I pursed my lips in response, keeping my them to myself, and nodded. Now that I actually take into consideration what Athan said, I do look different since the last time I rode the ferry. I guess that it's a good thing that I haven't shaved in a while then - I have a fortnight's worth of stubble growing into a rather nice looking beard going for me, and I think I look rather smashing, if I do say so myself. My long, pale hair was tucked in neatly into the beret, very unlike the messy bun I had going about four years ago. And I also have a new pair of glasses too-_wait a fucking minute._

While I was thinking to myself, Athan and I had gotten our tickets scanned and were currently walking around the seating area looking for somewhere to sit. That's when something hit me.

_Why in the hell are we on the ferry? There's only one reason why we're here, but I'd be damned if we're going __**there **__of all places. You can only hide in front of the enemy for so long before it gets pretty fucking obvious!_

Despite my sudden revelation and my intense need of demanding _"Why are fucking here of all places?", _I managed to keep my lips sealed shut until Athan found suitable enough seats for the two of us. They were pretty secluded enough, considering the shit-ton amount of people here which was pretty great considering that I am a hair's width away from loosing my shit all over the place. But! I could be just looking too much into the situation at hand. I tend to do that a lot after all. (The sudden resurgence of the burning heat in my eyes told me otherwise, making me feel nauseated with foreboding.)

As soon as we were seated, my mouth was shooting off before I even knew what I was saying.

"Why the fuck are we here?" I had asked.

Since the Australian was busy fixing our bags in place, he must've missed the slight panic coloring my voice, replying with a simple, "I already explained that we're using the ferry to go to the safe house."

I rolled my eyes as a frown grew on my face, adjusting my glasses all the while.

"Anyone with a brain could've figured that out dumb ass," I hissed, the asperity of my remark making the man seated across from me flinch from surprise. I closed my eyes when I felt them throb and, through gritted teeth, demanded, "I want to know why are we on a _ferry_ of all places. Everyone knows that-"

I cut myself off when memories of a blue and blonde haired man flitted passed my closed lids. Suddenly, I found myself in the monochrome surroundings of a vision. I was rather surprised at the lack of pain that usually accompanied them, but-

"_**-should come back to Midorijima and visit from time to time. It's just a ferry ride away after all."**_

-considering that this was a memory and not an actual vision must have something to do with that. I felt a pang of longing when I saw how carefree I looked at the time within the presence of strangers that I've only known for a couple of weeks. I halfheartedly scolded my past self for being so careless around people that I barely knew. But it was Aoba and Noiz so I guess I'll forgive myself for such a blunder.

"-ain? Kain!"

Athan's voice, riddled with worry and a touch of panic reached my ears and I noticed that I was being shaken quite roughly. I slapped the offending hands away with a grunt, feeling a vestigial flicker of my anger returning to me before igniting into an inferno that left me baring my teeth and growling at the poor chap that it happens to be directed at. Athan looked startled at my caprice before a look of understanding dawned on his face.

"I guess keeping my mate incognizant of the situation could only be successful for so long before the suss becomes too much, eh?" the Australian said calmly in the face of my ire with a look of resignation.

_(Why are we going to Midorijima, Athan? We're practically walking into a fucking trap you son of a-)_

"[Warum gehen wir nach Midorijima, Athan?]" I all but growled in German, getting straight to the point, "[Wir laufen geradewegs in eine verdammte Falle, du Hur-]"

_(No need to get vocal, Kain. Nor vulgar. Look, discussing this now isn't really such a good idea.)_

"[Kein Grund gleich ausfallend zu werden, Kain. Oder vulgär.]" the man across from me interrupted sharply, a look of faint irritation marring his face when my outburst drew several looks from other passengers, "[Hör zu, das jetzt zu diskutieren ist keine sonderlich gute Idee.]"

His calmness was really grating my already shot nerves. I stood from my seat to tower over him.

_(You gotta be shitting me! Don't refer to us going to fucking Midorijima as if it isn't a big deal, Athan! Telling me that we're heading there of all places isn't something you can just push off until the very last minute- oh wait, you did, you shit head!)_

"[Du verarschst mich doch!]" I hissed, my face twisting into a scowl, "[Beschreib unseren Trip zu diesem verdammten Midorijima nicht, als wäre es keine große Sache, Athan! Mir zu erzählen, dass wir gerade dorthin unterwegs sind, ist nichts, was du bis zur letzten Minute herauszögern kannst- oh, warte, genau das hast du getan, du Sch***kerl!]"

I was being unreasonable, but I couldn't bring myself to care - a stupid move on my part I would later find out.

_(I get that you're angry, but-)_

"[Ich versteh ja, dass du sauer bist, aber-]" Athan tried to cut in, but my tirade was on a toll.

_(Do you really? Because of you did, we wouldn't be here you asshole! You was with me from the very moment that I was rescued, so you know about every gritty detail of fourteen years I spent there!)_

"[Tust du das?]" I interjected, cutting Athan off, "[Wir sind nur wegen dir hier, du Ar***! Du warst bei mir seit ich gerettet wurde, also weißt du über jedes noch so düstere Detail Bescheid, was in den 14 Jahren, die ich dort verbracht habe, passiert ist!]"

_Kain, it's orders from the higher ups! I couldn't just ignore what they said especially since it's regarding your own personal safety. _

"[Kain, das sind Befehle von ganz oben!]" Athan exclaimed, his frustration finally becoming evident on his face, "[Ich konnte nicht einfach ignorieren, was sie gesagt haben. Vor allem, wenn es um deine eigene Sicherheit geht.]"

By now, people were sending us looks and a whispering amongst themselves at the spectacle unfolding. Their presence only made my paranoia heighten and, by extension, my anger worse. Seeing this, Athan tried to placate me, standing up beside me to place a calming hand on my shoulder. I slapped it away with a snarl.

_(You say that it's for my safety but here we are, marching our asses right into the heart of the reason why I got fucked over so badly. So ironic. Do you even care? Or are you just following orders like a perfect little CSM for once, so desperate to get into Manzo's good grace that you're willing to blow years worth effort put into hiding me?)_

"[Du sagst, dass es für meine eigene Sicherheit wäre, aber hier sind wir: schwingen geradewegs unsere Är***e ins Herzen dessen, warum ich völlig im Ar*** bin. Was für eine Ironie.]" I took a harsh breath before continuing in an intense baritone, "[Kümmert dich das überhaupt? Oder befolgst du einfach nur endlich mal Befehle wie ein perfekter kleiner CSM, so verzweifelt Manzos Gunst zu erhalten, dass es dir nichts ausmacht die jahrelange Arbeit, die dich mein Verstecken gekostet hat, in den Sand zu setzen?]"

Athan's expression turned wounded for a moment, putting a light damper on my vexation. But, it smoothed over into a cold and stony facade soon after, and my anger was back at its boiling point, threatening to spew everywhere without care of who gets hurt. However, that attitude was soon cut short when Athan punched the living shit out of me.

I always thought that people were over exaggerating when they would say that they were hit so hard that they were "seeing stars" - I was wrong. So very wrong. I was sent staggering and didn't see the next punch that Athan sent towards my chin. Darkness danced at the edge of my vision when I regained consciousness, and I found myself collapsed over in my seat, with a throbbing pain in my jaw and cheek. (I duly noted with a sense of detachment that Athan was addressing the crowd of people, most likely spewing some bullshit that seemed to put them all at ease.) When my sense of awareness finally began to crawl back to me, along with my common sense. That's when the full reality of what I said finally set in, causing a terrible sense of horror to pool into my gut.

"_It's official. Athan's going to renounce his friendship with me because __**somebody**__ couldn't shut the fuck up about shit that doesn't even involve them._

I hesitantly glanced up at the still standing Athan and flinched at the frostiness of his expression; if looks could kill, I would've been murdered several times over. My attitude to a full one-eighty: I sat back up into a upward position and trained my eyes to the ground, not even feeling a flicker of the rage I was experiencing before. A couple of moments passed before I heard Athan sigh and the slight creak that his seat made as he collapsed into it. A heavy silence followed. I dared to peek at him and could tell that the normally cheerful CSM was brooding up a storm: his expression was mild enough with only a small frown pulling at his lips but the intensity of his eyes scared away any one who dared to come too close to us, glaring at anything that moved without compunction. I winced lightly when that gaze caught my own. I expected the Australian to say something about my shitty behavior, but he appeared to have other ideas, seemingly satisfied with just sitting there and giving me a look one would give something that seemed unprepossessing.

_Oh boy. The patent "Athan stink eye"_, I thought as looked away from the pissed off man, _I'd rather jump off of this damn boat and use my superior swimming skills to drown myself._

The silence was slowly beginning to garrote me, - _This fucking uniform was already doing a great job at that already, damn it!_ \- and I was gradually becoming desperate for Athan to say something, anything, to break it.

_I'm such a dumbass, _I berated myself, turning my nervousness into an intense case of self loathing, _Why would I lash out at Athan of all people? _

My lips pursed as my expression scrunched together into a grimace.

"That's exactly what I'm wondering, mate."

The sudden intrusion of Athan's voice startled me, causing me to stare at him with a doe eyed expression. A beat passed before I remembered myself and straightened up while adjusting my glasses, clearing my throat unnecessarily when I noted that I spoke my thoughts aloud. I sighed, slumping over as if my breath was the only thing keeping me up. I looked Athan in the eye, with a guilt riddled expression.

"Saying sorry probably just won't cut it, but, for what it's worth, I really am," I apologized, something that I should've done way sooner, "I'm truly sorry Athan..."

I felt my eyes grow hot and began to inwardly curse for the inconvenient timing of these damned visions, but when I scrubbed at them out of habit, my hands came away wet with tears.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck, _were my thoughts as I hurriedly swiped my glasses off and wiped away the rest of my tears on my sleeve, _Curse my deviantic genes!_

Athan thankfully kept quiet during this, allowing me to continue speaking.

"Me being angry was no excuse for saying what I said," I carried on, cradling my glasses with careful hands, "It's an obvious sore spot and I had no right whatsoever encroaching on it."

I paused to take a sniff and ventured on in German, keeping my eyes trained on my lap.

_(You were the one to give me motivation when I felt as if there was no hope for me. You were the crutch that supported me when I was almost crippled to the point of no repair, and you were the hand that always helped me up whenever I fell to the wayside. You were, and still are, an important aspect in my life that I couldn't see myself living without and I'm so sorry for being an asshole and I didn't mean anything of what I said, I don't want a schism between us, a-and-!)_

"[Du warst derjenige, der mir die Motivation gegeben hat, die ich brauchte, wenn ich dachte es gäbe keine Hoffnung mehr. Du warst die Stütze, die mich unterstützt hat, als ich beinahe so verkrüppelt war, dass es kein Zurück mehr gab, und du warst die Hand, die mir immer hoch geholfen hat, wenn ich am Wegesrand hingefallen bin. Du warst, und bist immer noch ein wichtiger Bestandteil meines Lebens, ohne den ich nicht leben könnte und es tut mir leid, dass ich so ein Ar*** bin. Ich meine nichts von dem, was ich gesagt habe, ich will keine Kluft zwischen uns schaffen, u-und-!]"

A heavy hand landed on my knee, causing me to stop in my rambling apologies. I looked towards Athan and saw that his expression has lost some of its severity, but I could still see the thinly veiled anger in his eyes. He opened his mouth and then closed after a beat. He looked away from me and stood up abruptly.

"Stay here," he muttered firmly before walking away.

I stared at his back as he disappeared within the crowds, each step he took away from me feeling like a punch to the gut. I've never seen him this upset with me.

_Way to go Kain! You successfully made one of your closest friends pissed off at you. Congratulations, here's your gide damn gold star for being an overall asshole._

I laid my glasses between my legs before slumping over, placing my elbows on my knees and resting my head on my upturned palms. I know so much better, but I just had to go running my mouth about something I had no right to talk about so flippantly. I'm honestly surprised that the only thing he did to me was punch me, especially after mouthing off about him being a "perfect little CSM for once, so desperate to get into Manzo's good grace". I bit my lip as my eyes scrunched shut.

Athan's position as second-in-command of the ODW has been met with controversy ever since day one. The Australian's personality left for many things to be desired regarding professionalism, and his overall demeanor has left many people upset that he was chosen as the CSM. With this being said, all throughout the duration of his career as the Command Sergeant Major, Athan has been criticized regarding his methods to his madness - all of which he seemingly takes with stride. But, one could only take so much without being affected. If my current situation was a few years ago, then Athan wouldn't have reacted the way he did. He only became so sensitive regarding his rank when his own superior, who happened to be a close friend of his, said something regarding Athan's position as CSM to him. I wasn't made privy to the details of what occurred between the two highest ranking officials, but I had a front row seat of the aftermath. They put on airs around the each other, but every statement and action is forced - it's painful to watch, especially if you're close to the both of them.

Taking everything into consideration, I really, really feel like a total fucking tool.

I grunted and rubbed at my eyes before putting my glasses back on. It seemed like I spent a lot of time wallowing: It was around noon when we first arrived here and now it seemed that the sun is now setting, casting a rather beautiful array of yellow and orange hues on the ocean. I looked around and saw that my space was still Athan free, causing my heart to clench in my chest. I stood up to go search for the man before hesitating and sitting back down. Then I posed as if I was going to get back up again, because I was an indecisive little shit that couldn't make up his mind as to whether or not I should go find the Australian.

_He did say to stay here..._, I reasoned, leaning back into my seat, _But he was really upset... Ugh, stupid! He's really upset with you, so seeing your face is the last thing that he wants to do. Not that you can blame him..._

"Now I wouldn't say your face is the _last_ thing I want to see, per say," a voice interrupted, making me jump, "But right now, it's not very high on the list of things I wanna see right now."

The subject of my thoughts walked into view, settling himself on the seat adjacent to mine with a easy going grin on his face (I could still see that his eyes were guarded, much to my dismay).

"I would say that I'm surprised that you actually listened to what I said,"Athan went on to say, "But knowing you, you were probably berating yourself the entire time."

I gave him my answer my pursing my lips and looking away. I heard the Australian sigh.

"Kain, I believe that apologies are due hot and ready," he ventured on to say, much to my confusion.

I had already apologized, but, then again, if they weren't enough, then I'll do whatever within my power to make it up to him. When I opened my mouth to tell him such, Athan beat me to the punch.

"I'm sorry for punching you," he said, his easy going expression shifting into that of a guilty one, "That was really uncalled for on my part, mate."

I was shocked. I sputtered for a moment in an incoherent mix of German and Japanese before I got my words together.

"Athan, it's not your fault," I finally said, my eyebrows furrowed together in bemusement, "I shouldn't have said anything about- uh, that stuff cause I know how you felt about it..."

My sentence trailed away along with the strength of my argument as I looked down at the man before who had a sheepish look on his face. Somewhere during our conversation, I stood up, so I awkwardly sat back down while clearing my throat unnecessarily.

"I know that I can jump the gun and get to spewin' whenever someone mentions anything bad about me and my position as CSM, but that's no excuse to hit me mate," Athan continued after a moment with a grimace, "Your reaction was completely called for; we're heading to Midorijima after all and I know all about your history there."

I flinched lightly, but the Aussie didn't seemed to be poking fun at me - he was just stating a fact."

"So it's natural that you'll get to spewin' once you hear that that's our destination. And since _deviants_ are more prone to act on their emotions, with there plenty of it to go around, boy you sure can get to acting mad as a cut snake! So I shouldn't be getting so aggro with cha over something you can't really help. Granted, if I hadn't knocked you out for a moment, you'd probably be at my throat!"

When he was done speaking, I wanted to argue with him: I'm still completely at fault, so he shouldn't be shouldering any of the blame onto himself. At seeing my unsure expression of ambivalence, Athan heaved a great sigh and sat in the empty seat beside me and drew me into a tight side hug.

"Let's just say that two wrongs don't make a right, shall we?" he said, jostling the shoulder he was gripping lightly.

I took a deep breath and released it through my nose, letting my tension go away with my sigh. I still didn't want to agree to the notion of the Australian forgiving me so easily, but I nodded anyway before giving Athan a shaky smile. I don't deserve to have this wonderful man as a friend. (By Thioriginell, the entire world doesn't deserve his mere presence.)

We were silent for a while. Athan's grip on me stayed steady as we watch our fellow passengers go to and fro about their business, chatting amongst themselves. It was still kind of a shock to see some _deviants_ milling about as well; it was as if it was a reminder that I wasn't the only one out there in this world. My eyes became half lidded as a thought occurred to me, making the reprieve in my somewhat pleasant mood disappear.

"So we're actually going there," I said, catching Athan's gaze, "To Midorijima?"

He nodded, looking guilty for a moment, "Yeah. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner, mate."

I shook my head in reply giving a sardonic chuckle, "If it was any other way, I would've ran off, so it's cool."

But even as I was saying this, I could feel the weight of the reality setting in: I'm going to be in almost constant contact with a shit ton of people now. I adjusted my glasses as my lips thinned. My eyes warmed causing me to close them.

_I guess that I truly have no choice now? _I thought as I felt my chest constrict. _Even though I went through all those preparations to spend the rest of my life hid away, they were all uprooted. I must say that this must be fate. I could even infer that these events are probably apart of Your will. _

"Even though we're heading there," the Aussie cut into my musings, causing me to open my eyes to look at him "I can personally assure you that she'll be right, m'kay mate?"

Another shaky smile was my reply, that simple action alone feeling arduous in itself as a sudden exhaustion draped itself around my shoulders. As we settled into one each other, ignoring the whispers that our actions caused, I began to pray for the first time in what seemed to be forever.

_Don't let me screw up big time, O Thioriginell_, I begged to a god that I've swore I lost all faith in, _Please, please don't let me mess up someone's future by a careless action of mine. May I Write whatever story that you've Outlined for me with confidence and without blunder. May I do right by this power of mine._

This time, the sudden flare of heat in my eyes was comforting as if He was welcoming me and saying, "About damn time you accepted me."

At that moment, the intercom sounded overhead with the captain's voice.

"Passengers, we have about fifteen minutes until we bank at the port of Midorijima! I recommend that you gather all your items-..."

As Athan and I grabbed our belongings, I allowed a budding sense of hope to take root in my heart. Maybe, just maybe, there's a silver lining to this trip to my former hell.

At that time, I wasn't wrong, but I wasn't right neither.

_**DVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDVTDTVDTVDVT**_

_**Aussie glossary!**_

_**Brekkie - Breakfast**_

_**She'll be right - Everything's going to be okay!**_

_**Spewin' - Very angry**_

_**Mad as a cut snake - A very angry or crazy person**_

_**Arggo - Agressive**_

_**{AN: I must say that this chapter has been very trying for me as a budding author - I had to restart it again and again before I tossed it out all together and started on an entirely new slate. But luckily for me, and for you the readers, that was the right thing to do because the drive to write came and hit me like a truck. I originally wanted to make this chapter longer, but I really wanted to post this due to sheer impatience. But worry not! With school coming to a close, the updates won't be so far in between now. I plan to start making the chapters longer now that we're getting to the meat of the story. I honestly don't know how many chapters there's going to be, but the end isn't anywhere in sight as of now! However! I really want to have the bulk of DVT finished during the summer (new goal woohoo!) **_

_**So until then, see you in the next update!**_

_**PSST! Shout out to the wonderful Lumina13 for being so gracious as to helping me with the German bits! :0) }**_


	15. Chapter 15

Returning to Midorijima was relatively easy, much to the surprise of Kain. There weren't any mobs of policemen ready to whisk him away back to Toue's hands or any men in metallic upon his arrival. The hardest part of moving back was dealing with the memories that accompanied the island. Memories of people that were no longer with him. The deviant finally found out about the reason behind his grandfather's unusual silence: He had passed away over a year ago. The masked man was incredulous at first as he processed the news, but eventually this gave way to anger – "_Why didn't anyone fucking tell me that Gramps passed?"_ – which in turn gave away to sorrow. The grieving deviant was inconsolable for weeks, mourning over his caretaker and how he didn't even get to say a goodbye.

Soon a month had passed. Athan and Kain had, more or less, become settled in in their apartment (The arrival of the duo must've been something that had been expected for quite some time since the place came fully furnished). However, Kain's dismal disposition had continued over into the month, and the Australian living with him was completely out of options as to what to do about his roommate/best mate. Seeing Kain hurt, hurt Athan as well, but the fact that cut to the bone was no one told him. More specifically, the person who promised to tell him didn't! Athan was livid. After all this time, Kain didn't know about Mr. Hide. He could've swore that Manzo said that he would tell him. After a phone call with said man, the Australian's accusation was proven correct. Their conversation made the Aussie feel even more discontent with Manzo's decision to stay silent.

"I didn't want Kain to grieve over his Mr. Hide's death alone," he had said calmly, as if he was explaining something simple to a young child, "We talked about this Athan. I wanted someone close to Kain to be there with him."

"That makes no fucking sense, you bloody dumbass and you know it!" Athan shouted lividly, "It doesn't take a year to tell someone about-" he man lowers his voice to an angry stage whisper, as if he didn't want the deviant to hear, "-the passing of their loved one!"

"There were many things that needed to be seen about and I couldn't take anyone off of their assignments for they were time sensitive, Athan," Manzo explained, maddeningly calm in the face of Athan's ire.

"Ugh! This is _Kain_ we're talking about, not some random member of the DO! You still could've sent one of us to deliver the news to him...!"

(Their argument will continue well into the night, only to be interrupted by one of their coils shutting off unexpectedly of a dead battery.)

Kain could hear Athan fussing over the coil with Manzo, making his already terrible mood become even fouler. Athan and Manzo's relationship was already filled with tension, and he felt pretty shitty for causing more rifts between the former friends. But, at the same time, he was pretty mad at Manzo for not telling him about Gramps. He's been gone for a year and he didn't even know about his passing until a month ago. What the ever living _fuck_? How can you keep such news away from your _friend_ for a _year_?

The deviant let out a sigh and burrowed deeper into his bed, covering his head with his duvet in hopes that he could block out the Athan's enraged shouts and Manzo's calm words.

It didn't, and Kain felt like crying.

DVT~~~~

After a month and a half into their stay, the deviant couldn't stand being holed up in the apartment any longer. Between the almost constant arguments between two of his close friends and the atmosphere of foulness that he conjured up, Kain was slowly going insane. Thus is why he is taking a late night stroll of Midorijima. He had no destination, so the young man was aimless in where he was going, being too caught up in his thoughts of his grandfather and friends to be bothered to think of somewhere to go. Which was a big part of why he ended up bumping into a wall.

"Ow," he said, more out of habit than out of actually pain. Which was rather strange since he walked into a wall- oh.

It wasn't a wall. It was a man. The aforementioned man was silently looking behind him at Kain with a neutral expression, showing no signs of being upset with the deviant bumping into him, thankfully. The man was very tall (just about the same height as Kain who was about 6'2) and wore a long navy green trench coat. That's all that he could see of the man's clothing, other than the boots that the coat didn't hide. The intimidating man had long dark-brown dreads that gradient into red, and the one cool blue eye that peeked over his shoulder seemed to bore into him with an unusual intensity. Kain drew his arms up and held his elbows, suddenly feeling self-conscious about the amount of skin he was displaying.

When they first came back and Kain was still unknowing about his grandfather, Athan had demanded a wardrobe change, taking away his dark clothing that hid everything and replacing it with light-colored and exposing clothing. The contrast was jarring to the deviant. He wasn't even allowed to wear his mask – the horror of it all. The Australian even tried to cut his hair, but Kain drew the line at the idea. But due to Athan's needling, he did replace his ever present bandanna with a headband. Kain still felt strange whenever he looked at himself; it was almost as if he was staring at an entirely new person. But the strange feeling wasn't unwelcomed. The deviant needed change from the constant state of hiding. However, he still felt overexposed at time, especially when people began to stare at the black markings covering the grey skin he showed.

The paled haired man gave a cough before giving a broad, yet sheepish, grin.

"Uh, sorry for bumping into you!" the deviant apologized, letting go of his arms.

The man remained silent, much to Kain's consternation. Was the man actually hurt? Fucking hell–

But, suddenly, the man turned around with low hum and walked away without a word, leaving the deviant blinking at his retreating back. Kain frowned at the rather strange behavior but he decided that he couldn't really judge – he's seen weirder things. With that, he continued on his way to nowhere, hoping that his excursion remained uneventful. And it did. However, the following days didn't act according to his wishes.

_**DVT~~~~**_

_**AN: Surprise? I dunno. I guess I can tentatively say that Deviant is on a semi-hiatus? Again, I dunno**__. It's going to be really different from now on, I can tell you that for sure.__** A big reason due this story being previously discontinued was due to the fact that I kind of fell out of the DMMD fandom, and so I have a feeling everyone knows how that goes. That falling out affected my writing and I didn't want to slap something together and give you a load of shit. But I still love the story that I had written out as well as my dear Kain and friends. Most importantly, I love writing for you guys and I hate to stop that due to my own selfish reasons. However, I'm not going to force out anything, so update will be sporadic. **_

_**Thank you for sticking through with DVT.**_

_**KM~~~~**_


End file.
